Kingdom Hearts III: Shadows of the Heart
by Shadowclaw98
Summary: The Mark of Mastery Exam is over. Master Xehanort has been revived and in the aftermath Riku is tasked with training an apprentice, while Sora, Lea and Kairi are sent on mission to unlock the seven Keyholes of Requiem. But whilst they're doing that who's going to stop Organization XIII? *UPDATE: FINAL ARC!* Several OCs, SoKai, RikuxOC. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Water and Land

**Author's Note: **Welcome to the first chapter of Shadow's of the Heart. Not much to say except that it this chapter (and the next three) have mid to heavy KH3D spoilers but nothing too great. _  
_

Anyhow...I hope you enjoy it!

_Realm of Darkness._

It was dark. Who was she trying to kid, it was always dark. Aqua walked across the beach, wondering again what was going on outside the Realm of Darkness. She didn't know how long had passed since she trapped herself to save Terra. At least...that's the name she had remembered. She could remember very little of her friend.

And there was another, a boy a few years younger than her...Ven or something like that. Something had happened to him, something truly terrible, but she couldn't remember what. And she hated herself for it.

Aqua stopped for a minute and turned to look at her only friend in the darkness, a man in a black coat. She had never seen his face, but could tell he was older and much wiser than her. Come to think of it, the man had never said his name either, but he had kept her company quite recently when she had found her way to this beach under the moonlit sky. He was kind to her but Aqua could tell a lot of things had troubled him. Like her he was losing his memories as well. Aqua summoned her Keyblade, the Master Keeper, and walked further down the beach.

"Are you going back then?" the man said in a deep voice.

"It's the only thing that keeps me sane, Ojisama. Killing those...Heartless as you call them," she replied in a soft voice.

"_Are you sure about that?" _cackled another voice from inside her head.

Aqua stopped for a second and gritted her teeth. She dismissed the voice like she had done before and carried on walking, disappearing into darkness.

_Mysterious Tower_

Yen Sid stood by a cresent moon-shaped window. Riku was stood on the other side of the room deep in thought. Kairi and Lea were in one of the Tower's many training rooms fighting against fake Heartless and Nobodies while Sora had left to go on a journey to train, without Yen Sid's permission, which was unlike him.

"Perhaps Sora is really beating himself up for falling for Xehanort's attempts to make him a vessel..." he thought out loud. He looked at the old sorcerer. "Why not just bring him back?"

"Time passes differently in this dimension. What may take Sora many months will only take a few days here." Yen Sid turned around. "Having Sora train on his own in the worlds while I train Lea and Kairi here is simply the better way of going about things."

Riku looked up.

"I thought you were willing to do anything to help us combat Organization XIII?"

The sorcerer sat down in his chair and beckoned Riku to come over. Closing his eyes, Yen Sid began explaining to Riku.

"That is correct, however, we simply do not have the time to do that. To combat the thirteen Darknesses of Organization XIII, we need seven Lights which require an immense amount of training. You and Sora both trained yourselves after Destiny Islands fell to Xehanort's Heartless and on your journey to defeat Xemnas and the original Organization XIII. In addition, Aqua is already a Keyblade Master and Ventus, who we have come close to finding, is already well experienced with the Keyblade. Lea and Kairi are also learning well the ways of the Keyblade and have already gained a lot of experience. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Yes. We are all powerful, but Lea and Kairi have had no experience with a Keyblade. That's where your special rooms come in, to speed run their training without the need of going out in to the worlds and getting killed unnecessarily. But...you only listed six of us. You said there were seven."

Yen Sid smiled. Riku looked nervous. Yen Sid almost never smiled, much like Riku. And whenever Yen Sid smiled it means that they will be given a dangerous task. Riku looked into Yen Sid's eyes and wondered just what was going to happen.

"As a Keyblade Master you now have the option of taking on an apprentice. From there we will have our final Light."

"But...but I not ready for an apprentice!" Riku said, taken aback by this request. "I've only just become a Master and besides...after what I've done to myself I don't deserve one."

"Remember Riku, _you_ are in control of the Darkness in your heart. It will only consume you if you let it." Yen Sid waved a hand and a portal of light appeared in the wall. He gestured Riku to walk towards it. "Through there you will find the world where your apprentice lies. I'm sure you will find her quite easily."

Riku nodded and stepped through the portal, only to end up falling through the other side. Man, travel between worlds without a capsule was rough. He stood up and looked around. He was at a large building with a clock tower on top of it and the sun was setting, like it always does. He smiled slightly to himself. He was back in Twilight Town. His smile changed to a look of frustration when he remembered what Yen Sid had said.

"Right..." he muttered to himself as he set of down to the market street. "'Her'. Why couldn't he have shown me a picture or something?"


	2. Shade and Sunshine

**Author's note:  
**Me, being me, struggle with what to say in these things. Though...I suppose I could say you get to see my OC for the first (HOORAY!). Leave you comments about her if you want. Other than that, er...enjoy :)

* * *

_Twilight Town_

Shade walked casually down Market Street and into a back alley. From there she turned again into the gang's Usual Spot. It was the holidays and she was the first one there again. While she waited she looked in the old mirror. She could see her long black with a red fringe her as normal and her eyes, one dark blue the other amber, as normal. Her sleeveless grey coat and her blue jeans were there as normal. And so was that purple aura that her reflections gave off. She didn't know what it was or why it was there. It just was, even in her earliest memory, which wasn't so long ago.

"Yo, Shade!" a voice called.

Shade turned slightly to look at the newcomers. It was Hayner, with Pence and Olette, the group that found her at the Old Mansion. She looked back at her reflection and quickly dismissed it, looking down angrily. Pence walked up to her.

"You remember anything else yet?" he asked looking under her hair, trying to change the subject.

"No..." she sighed. "Still as empty as ever..."

"Well that's no good; you should've remembered something by now! It's been almost a week!" Hayner said jokingly, punching her lightly on the shoulder. Shade sighed again.

"Hey, don't be like that with her; the poor girl's really sensitive about that!" Olette said pushing Hayner out of the way, ignoring his complaints. "You don't have to force it, I'm sure it'll come back on its own."

Olette's smile comforted Shade. It's true that she had amnesia ever since they found her at the Old Mansion. She couldn't remember anything except fighting off those...things. Bringing up the topic only depressed her. Shade lifted her head up and smiled, putting everyone's mind at rest for now.

"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked cheerfully. "It is the last day of the holidays after all."

"How about we go grab some stuff from Tram Common, then hit the beach?" Hayner asked excitedly. It was their fifth trip this week, but there was really nothing else to do except hang out in the Usual Spot and at the Terrace.

"Sounds like a plan!" Pence said happily.

Olette nodded in agreement before stopping herself. Shade looked at her.

"Maybe you forgot but we don't have that much munny...We spent it all the last four times we went." Olette said sadly.

Shade looked at her three friends as their expressions changed from excited to depressed. She looked at the ground, saddened at the fact she can't spend one last day at the beach. She looked up, her eyes drifting across the room until they fell upon a struggle bat. She smiled to herself as she concocted a plan. Unconsciously giggling like a mad person, she picked up the bat.

"Er...Shade?" Hayner asked cautiously. "You OK?"

"I have a plan," she laughed before whispering it into his ear before walking off to the Sandlot.

"H-hey!" Hayner called "I don't think it's such a good idea challenging Seifer like that!"

"So?" Shade called back "It's not like I'll get a tan there anyway, what with the sun always being at twilight!"

Riku walked around Market Street. Aside from the fact that Mega-Potions were 75% off there was nothing unusual in Twilight Town. It was exactly the same as it was since his last visit.

'_Although...' _he thought _'that was with...'_

Riku stopped himself. He was on his own when he was spying on the Organization. Wasn't he? Now that he thought about he could remember someone in a black coat, but the memory was difficult to grasp, like it didn't want to be caught.

"Why am I remembering stuffed that happened over two years ago?" he asked himself before realising what had said. "But...there was someone else there, wasn't there?"

Questioning himself, he continued down the street before stopping halfway down the hill. He began to sniff the air frantically. Anyone watching him would have thought he was mad, but he didn't care. He could smell darkness similar to his own. He turned and walked down the street following his nose. Literally.

The group walked into the Sandlot. Seifer, Rai and Fuu were stood in a corner laughing about some 'discipline' they had given to some kids earlier that day. Fuu was the first to point out the other group, with Rai putting up two fists. Seifer turned around casually, smirking.

"Oh, look who it is!" he laughed. "The blondie's little gang. You're recent attitude problems are only making a name for yourself at the Twilight Town Disciplinary Commitee, blondie."

"Your idea of discipline is just bullying others around, you know?" Shade said cockily, ignoring Rai's protests of 'she stole my line, ya know?'.

"Oh and you'd know all about that wouldn't you, newbie?" Seifer replied squaring up against her. "What do you want?"

Shade twirled the Struggle bat in her hand. Seifer looked at it and began to crack a smile which in turn became full on laughter. His two followers also began to laugh as well. Hayner looked furious while Pence and Olette looked at each other nervously. When the laughter died down Seifer picked up his own Struggle bat.

"Ok, newbie, you wanna get another thrashing?" he said coldly. "Bring it!"

He began to charge at the girl, but she stopped him and smiled.

"How 'bout...winner gets 2500 munny?" she asked innocently. Seifer smiled.

"You're on!"

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a certain pale blue-haired boy.


	3. Where Darkness Lingers

**Author's note: **Ah, the joys of writing scenes that involve small fights. My proof reader said she liked it (and she's in to all that fighting stuff). But if you guys want a full blown battle, you're gonna have to wait a few more chapters :P

* * *

_Twilight Town- Sandlot-_

Seifer lunged at Shade, who twirled out of the way and swiped her bat across, catching him in the side of the chest. Seifer didn't react. Instead he swung round clipping Shade in the head. She countered with a quick blow to the stomach then cartwheeled out of Seifer's range. Pence and Olette looked at each other as Hayner cheered Shade on.

"It's just like when we found her," Olette whispered to her friend.

"Yeah, but this against another person, not those...monsters," Pence whispered back.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she does have a certain...glee to this fight."

They watched as Shade dodged every attack Seifer tried, countering at the end with powerful hits that caught Seifer unaware. This was impossible! How could he lose to the newbie when he had beaten her so many times before? It was out of the question!

Seifer wiped the blood from his mouth, cursing himself for being taken down so easily. He stood up and charged at Shade again only to be tripped up by her. Rai began to laugh until he was elbowed sharply in the ribs by Fuu. Shade laughed madly. Embarrassed, Seifer jumped into the air and charged downwards, holding his bat out.

"Isn't this romantic?" he growled.

He caught Shade as she laughed, stabbing her in the stomach. She backed away, clutching it thanking heaven that the bats weren't pointed.

But something was off. She looked at her free hand. Her eyes widened and quiet, shocked gasp came out. It was cloaked in that same aura as her reflection. He stal...watcher had noticed this too and had summoned his Way to the Dawn. Shade frantically shook her hand, trying to rid herself of the aura, oblivious to Seifer's attack.

"Gotcha now, newbie!" he said angrily.

He smacked Shade across the face with the bat, breaking her nose in the process. Angered, Shade returned the attack but with more force, sending Seifer flying across the Sandlot, Rai and Fuu running to his aid.

Shade smiled at her friends through the bloodied mess on her face. They cheered and whooped back.

However their victory was short lived as several small shadowy creatures appeared from the ground. Shade panicked when she saw them and backed away, dropping her bat in the process. She held her head in both hands, crying.

"No, not again. Just leave me alone," she pleaded to the creatures. Suddenly her hand glowed a purple colour. "Again?" In her other hand that mysterious key shaped sword summoned itself. "...Again?"

Almost instinctively Shade launched into a combo taking out several Shadows. It was useless however as a dozen more arrived in their place, coupled with several creatures that looked like soldiers. Before she could deal with them she heard Olette scream. Looking up she saw several of the creatures heading for her friends, while another headed for the injured Seifer who was being protect, albeit slightly hopelessly, by Rai and Fuu.

She began to head over to her friends when suddenly a flash of blue flames destroyed the creatures. As the smoke cleared she saw a boy, older than her, with blue-silver hair standing between her friends and the monsters. He was also holding a key-shaped weapon.

"Help those two!" he shouted, pointing at Rai and Fuu. "I got these covered."

The boy quickly dispatched of the things as they got closer. She didn't know why, but she trusted him to look after the gang. Looking at the weakened Rai and Fuu Shade ran over and started killing the monsters. As she killed more of them even more spawned in their places. Even the blue haired boy was starting to get overwhelmed. Just what were these creatures?

Shade began to feel dizzy. She began seeing flashes of a lab and a man in a black coat with long silver hair. Her head began to pound as more images flashed through her mind. She felt something build up inside her, travelling up her body until her mouth opened and...

"_HEARTLESS, BEGONE!"_ She shouted. The Shadows and Soldiers disappeared into the ground and into dark portals. Shade clutched her head as the boy and the others ran up to her. Even the now conscious Seifer. "What did I...?"

Olette and the others (except Seifer and, understandably, Fuu) gasped and murmured as the boy but two fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse.

"She's alive, just unconscious," he told them, much to their relief. "Is there anywhere we can take her?"

"Yeah, she lives with Olette and her family," Pence said.

"I'll show you the way!" Hayner said, rushing off to Olette's house, followed by Pence and Olette herself.

The boy picked Shade up and began to walk in the same direction. He was stopped by Seifer.

"As worried as I am, I'll let you take care of her," he said. "But don't _ever_ cause trouble in my town again! Now, then..." He turned to Rai and Fuu. "Let's go."

"We'll keep a look out, ya know?" Rai said.

"Advance guard," Fuu said simply.

She turned and followed Rai and Seifer out of the Sandlot. Confused and a little bit miffed about the thanks he got, Riku turned and followed the other three kids to Olette's house

_Traverse Town –Second District-_

It was night, as always, in Traverse Town. The stars glittered like diamonds hung in the sky. A figure hidden by the shadows stood on the roof of the Gizmo Shop. The area below was swarming with Heartless of various kinds including Neoshadows and Defenders. The figure moved closer to the edge and summoned his Keyblade.

"I'm Batman," Sora said automatically, not knowing who 'Batman' was.

Without warning Sora leaped down from the Gizmo Shop landed in the midst of the Heartless. He launched himself in to multiple Strike Raids, taking out a large amount of Neoshadows in one hit. He turned his attention to the Defenders and Large Bodies. The Large Bodys all charged at him but Sora dodge rolled between them and took them all out with a Blizzaga. The Defenders' shields all snapped at him and/or fired fireballs at him. Sora noticed too late and got hit repeatedly. Casting Curaga on himself he moved to defeat the Defenders.

With them gone he ran to the gate to the First District. When he got through the gate he stopped for a deep breath. He had been training for a month since he left the Mysterious Tower. He knew that it would have only been a few hours in that dimension though as time passed differently there. He had left to train on his own since the incident in The World That Never Was. He had been captured after the fight with Xemnas and had fallen in to a deep sleep. He didn't know much after that, except that Riku had told him the Young Xehanort had intended on making him the final vessel for Master Xehanort.

Sora walked over to the cafe and ordered a class of water. He felt that he still had a lot to learn before Yen Sid would let him take the Mark of Mastery Exam again. Chugging down the water as soon as he decided he wouldn't let those things worry him and that he should just focus on train as hard as he could to combat the new Organization.

"You've done well at keep the Heartless at bay," the young waitress giggled. "And the monster in the sewers of Fountain Square. You're quite a hero in this world."

Her smiled warmed Sora, just like Kairi's smile. As he opened his mouth to speak he was surrounded by a white light, scaring the waitress. Then he disappeared, leaving anyone who saw it opened-mouthed.

_Mysterious Tower_

Sora reappeared opposite the table Yen Sid was sat at. Kairi and Lea were stood either side of him. He did a double take when he saw Kairi.

"Kairi? What are you doing here?" he asked her, shocked by her presence.

"Yen Sid brought me here to teach me how to weild the Keyblade," she smiled, summoning her Destiny's Embrace.

This shocked Sora even more.

"When did you get that?"

"Riku gave it to me when you came to rescue me," she shrugged.

Sora's heart began to beat faster. He liked her even more now that he knew she could wield a Keyblade. He stared into her bright blue eyes. They were as deep as the ocean, so deep he would get lost in them. And he would let himself too. He was brought back to reality by a coughing Lea.

Sora looked at him. He was wearing jeans and a red shirt emblazoned with runic markings instead of the Organization's black coat. Lea nodded to a smiling Yen Sid. Sora looked at the sorcerer, standing up straighter as he did so.

"I have brought you here, Sora, to tell you that Kairi and Lea and finished their training and are ready to take the Mark of Mastery Exam. I know you feel bad about letting yourself get caught out by Xehanort, but you can't afford to waste time feeling sorry for yourself. So, I have decided to put you through the Exam again."

Sora's face lit up. Finally he could catch up to Riku. Yen Sid held up a hand and the room changed to a vast ruin. Kairi and Lea looked around in wonder. Sora laughed.

"Relax; we're still in the Tower. This is just Yen Sid's magic."

"I knew that," Lea said with a shrug.

"Wow," Kairi gasped, amazed.

"This is the world known as Requiem. It was a fortress for the Keyblade wielders of light during the Keyblade War. Master Xehanort has made his base here, of this I am certain."

"So we find that place and destroy Xehanort!" Sora said with a determined look.

"Alas, it is not that simple. Requiem has been locked and protected by seven Keyholes that have been scattered in different worlds. It is your job in this Exam to find those worlds, unlock the Keyholes and defeat any Organization member that you encounter."

"What about Riku?" Sora asked.

"Riku's gone elsewhere," Lea replied. "Sorry."

"What's he doing?"

"He is training our final Light and you will not see him until your Exam is over," Yen Sid explained. Sora's face fell. "I am sorry, but that's how it has to be." Yen Sid waved a hand and the door opened. "The gummi ship is waiting for you outside. It knows where you have to go, so do not worry about not finding the right worlds."

Sora, Lea and Kairi nodded and went downstairs.

"I'm glad I get to go with you this time," Kairi whispered, grabbing Sora's hand.

"Me too," Sora smiled. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

The two stopped on the stairs and for that moment, they felt like nothing could harm them.

"Hey," Lea said, grinning. "I won't have any mushy stuff on this adventure. Got it memorised?"

"Hey, who made you leader?" Sora laughed, letting go of Kairi's hand.

The three walked outside and got into the gummi ship, setting off for a new adventure.


	4. Preperation

**Author's note: **So you get to see some of Shade's true self. Who knew?

Anyways, to the chapter!

* * *

_Requiem -Throne Room-_

Twelve dark corridors formed around the stone table. Sat in the broken throne was Master Xehanort, smirking to himself at the sight of all twelve of his vessels. He stood up and walked towards his vessels.

"Welcome...to the first meeting of the new Organization XIII," he said almost joyfully, wiggling his fingers in the process. "We are here, slightly behind in the grand scheme due to the unforeseen complications of Xemnas's Organization."

His (hooded) Nobody didn't move at this remark and stayed standing tall, listening to his Somebody give his speech.

"The Keyblade wielders have finally set upon the quest to rid the Universe of us! And so we shall clash with them, forming the blade, unlocking the door to Kingdom Hearts, thus leading us to a new age of enlightenment and knowledge!"

There were few cheers from the group. Most (namely the founding members) didn't bother.

"Yeah, yeah, just tell us what we have to do, old man," Xigbaryawned.

"Do not disrespect the superior," Saix drawled, summoning his claymore.

"Hey, easy where you swing that thing, yeah?"

"I have chosen you all because you have a debt to pay to me," Master Xehanort continued. "You are my chosen ones, the ones who will open the door!"

The youngest of the vessels raised a hand slowly. Master Xehanort's eyes darted towards him.

"Is this what I was created for?" the boy asked.

Master Xehanort turned to his second incarnation. Terra-Xehanort made no movements.

"Yes," he said in a deep voice. "We made you as an emergency in case there were any...complications with the plans in the Realm of Sleep."

The boy nodded in return.

One of the other members turned away and formed a dark corridor. Xehanort stared at him evilly.

"What are you doing Number IX?" he asked.

"I have business to attend to in my own world." IX replied, turning slightly. "If you want a new world then I suggest we get funds for our cause."

With that he disappeared into the corridor. Xehanort waved them all to leave. They disappeared into their own dark corridors. All except one. He took his hood down.

"What are we going to do when infinite knowledge will be ours?" the Young Xehanort asked.

"We shall become _gods!_" his future self replied triumphantly.

Young Xehanort only looked at his future self before walking into a dark corridor.

"I see."

_Twilight Town –Olette's House-_

The black-haired girl lay on the bed sleeping soundlessly. Her three friends were sat on various chairs that were in her room while Riku was stood up against a wall, arms folded. He hated moments like these. He wasn't socially awkward, far from it in fact. It was just explaining the Heartless and various other things such as Keyblades and where he was from. In fact he could count on the fact that one of them would ask that within the first ten seconds of the conversation.

"So..." the blonde one, Hayner, asked "Where are you from?"

_Make that five seconds, _Riku thought. "I'm from somewhere..." he chose is next words carefully. "Far away." Was what he came up with.

"Care to tell us your name?" Hayner asked, a tad more aggressive now.

"Riku."

"What's that weapon you had?" Pence asked.

"What were those things?" Olette asked at the same time.

It erupted in to a loud cacophony. Riku tried to answer, but the group kept on pressing questions until...

"_Fingers on lips!" _Riku shouted.

The group stopped and did what he said in a slightly shocked manner.

"Thank you," Riku said, calmer now that he could think. "Now my weapon is a secret, I really can't tell you what it is. As for those creatures, they're called Heartless." Pence raised a hand, finger still on lips. Riku ushered it down. "They are the physical, living manifestation of the darkness in people's hearts. They are attracted to darkness and, like zombies, will swarm when they sense prey. They are entirely devoid of emotion. That answer your questions?"

The three nodded.

"Now," Riku continued. "Who is that girl?"

"Well..." Olette started "That's a long story. We don't actually know _who _she is."

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"What we mean is she's an amnesiac," Pence explained. "We were going to check out the Old Mansion..."

_Twilight Town –Old Mansion- One month ago_

The gang stared in disbelief at the girl. She had stepped out of a black portal and then nothing. She had just stopped, radiating a powerful purple flame-like aura. She summoned a key-shaped sword and charged.

"_Xehanort!"_ she screamed as she charged at the group.

She stopped suddenly, sword inches from a shocked Hayner's neck.

"You're not Xehanort," the girl said in an emotionless voice. She relaxed a sword. "But...anyone who gets between me and Xehanort must be destroyed."

The girl prepared to swing at Hayner again. Hayner and Pence couldn't move they were rooted to the ground with fear. This girl was different from the man that had kidnapped Kairi. This girl seemed...psychotically unstable. And just plain scary.

"_No! Stop!_" Olette screamed.

Strangely the girl did stop. She turned her head quickly, her blue and amber eyes darting from Hayner to Pence and then to Olette. Suddenly the girl clutched her head. She screamed in agony and fell to the ground, dropping her sword which disappeared in black flames. He scream was ear-splitting and somewhat demonic. When it stopped the girl slowly dropped her hands and slowly stood up, her purple aura gone. She looked at them again. Her eyes seemed bigger and...frightened.

"Where am I?" she said, obvious fear in her voice. "Who are you?"

"Do you think she's faking it?" Hayner asked suspiciously to Pence.

"I don't think so..." he replied. "You can't fake that fear."

Olette took over.

"I'm Olette, these are Hayner and Pence," she said sweetly. "You're in Twilight Town, by the Old Mansion. Can you tell us who you are?"

The girl thought for a moment. One word came out.

"...Shade."


	5. The Start of a New Journey

**Author's Note:** Woo! Chapter 5! This is where the plot really begins :) (Think of the last for chapters like umm...that time you play as Roxas in KH2.) Not much else to say other than Shade's profile will be on my profile in 2-3 weeks, so if you want to know more about her look there.

Now, on to the chapter!

* * *

_Twilight Town -Olette's House- Present day_

"We found out she couldn't remember anything except that afterwards," Pence finished. "She lives with Olette's family in return for helping out at the family business."

"And you just...took her in?" Riku asked.

"What? Don't believe us?" Hayner asked defensively.

"No, no, it's not that, it's just..." Riku said wondering what to say. "That reminds of something that Sora would do."

"You know Sora?" Pence asked in disbelief.

"Long story and not one I'm going in to," was the reply. "I take it she doesn't remember that she attacked you?"

The three shook their heads. At that point Shade began to stir. Riku walked over to Shade's drawer and sat down on it. He looked at Shade and then at the others.

"I'd rather talk to her in private," he said to them.

While Hayner was confused, the more understanding Pence and Olette nodded and walked out of the room, pushing Hayner out as they did so. Riku turned his attention to the girl. She was stretching herself awake.

"Oh, it's you!" she said when she noticed him. "Thank you for protecting my friends."

"Don't mention it," Riku said walking to the door. He opened and Hayner fell through, landing on his face. "I told you it was private."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Hayner said giving up on listening and walking downstairs.

Riku shut the door, then walked back to his place on the drawer. Shade looked at him, intrigued at this new person. His presence was different from the other people of Twilight Town. He seemed...new, for want of a better word.

Riku lifted his hand and summoned his Keyblade. Shade looked at her left hand and tried to summon hers. It didn't appear.

"Do you know what this is?" Riku asked. Shade shook her head. "It's a Keyblade. You have one too, which means you must be special."

"Why are you here?" she asked ignoring the accidental compliment.

"I came here because I was told to find a Keyblade wielder. Since you're the only one here that can I'm guessing it's you."

"Why do you need me?"

Riku rubbed his temples, trying to figure out a way round the question. He couldn't so he decided to be his usual blunt self.

"There is a war coming," he said causing Shade's eyes to widen. "A war that threatens every world in existence. We need seven Keyblade wielders and we only have six..." He thought a moment and found it was best not to lie. "...Four and two we haven't located yet."

Shade was reeling from all this. War, Keyblades, Keyblade wielders? Was she really needed that much? She took a deep breath.

"You said worlds," she said, emphasising the 's'. "Are you from another world?"

The boy nodded.

"Will I get to see other worlds if I come with you?"

He nodded again.

"And will you help me get my memories back?"

The boy paused then nodded slowly. Shade smiled and held out her hand.

"I'm Shade," she said. "Who are you?"

"Riku," he replied shaking her hand.

Shade got up off the bed and smiled. She got her bag and put some stuff in (socks, underwear etc.) and walked to the door. When she realised Riku wasn't following her she turned to face him.

"Come on then," she said cheerfully. "Other world's don't wait for no-one."

Riku shrugged and got up. They said goodbye to the gang and Olette's family, then made their way to Station Plaza, Riku a little ahead.

"You seemed quick to jump at the chance to get off this world," he said.

Shade shrugged. "It's alright, but there's not much to do once you've seen it all."

Riku chuckled a bit. "You remind me of me when I was you're age."

When they got to the plaza Riku walked a little to the centre. He looked up and shouted to the sky.

"I got her, Yen Sid! I need one of those portals!"

"You sure that's gonna work?" Shade asked sceptically.

"Trust me, it'll work," Riku replied.

As if on cue, a portal of light appeared. Riku beckoned to her to come with him, but the thought of be able to leave this world for another was frightening her now. Riku sighed and walked up to her.

"We'll go together," he said taking hold of her hand.

Taking a deep breath Shade (and Riku) stepped through the portal.

On the other side was Yen Sid's room, Yen Sid himself sat opposite them on the other side of the table. As Riku and Shade stepped out the portal closed behind with a whooshing sound.

"I see you brought her," Yen Sid said with a smile. "I am Yen Sid. Who might you be?"

"Erm...Shade, Sir," Shade said, standing straighter.

"A pleasure to meet you Shade," Yen Sid nodded before looking at Riku. "I have sent Sora, Lea and Kairi on their Exam. I need you to train young Shade here to make sure she is fit to fight Organization XIII. I trust you will not fail me?"

"No, Sir," Riku replied.

Yen Sid nodded, waved a hand, summoning a glowing star shaped rock. He continued. "This is a special Star Shard. Rather than just teleport you at random times it will teleport you when you want it to. However it will only take you where you are needed. Do you understand?"

Riku nodded as did Shade, only she nodded because she didn't want to look stupid.

"I wish you the best of luck," Yen Sid said as Riku picked up the Star Shard.

He grabbed Shade's hand.

"Hold on tight," he said and held the Star Shard.

In a flash of light they disappeared.

"Where are we?" Lea asked as he got out of the Gummi Ship.

"A place called Autumn Woods," Sora replied trying to sound like he knew where they were. He didn't.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I'm in my fifth new world!" Kairi squealed with excitement.

"Can we go explore?"

"Sure, that's suits me," Sora said happily. "What about you, Axel...I mean Lea?"

"Hold on," Lea said pointing the key to the Gummi Ship at the Gummi Ship. "Let me just lock the Ship."

He pressed a button on the key and the Ship beeped. A locking sound could be heard. Sora and Kairi just stared at him.

"I...I locked it like a car," Lea explained. "It's supposed to be funny..."

"Did you know it could do that?" Kairi asked Sora.

"No, I didn't," he replied, shaking his head before walking off, followed swiftly by Kairi.

Lea only sighed and followed suit.


	6. Training on Instinct

**Author's note: **So we start the first arc of this story. A welcome return to, well, you'll see ^.^ Not much else to say tbh...

So, on with the show!

* * *

_Enchanted Dominion_

Riku landed on the ground with a loud thud. Shade landed on top of him but rolled a few feet away. He groaned as he got up, flexed his limbs then went to help Shade. She on her knees clutching her stomach, groaning.

"Man, that thing is rough..." she muttered before looking at Riku. "You could've told me it would hurt!"

"I didn't know it would hurt that much," Riku said trying to sound honest. "But let's forget that. We'll be prepared for next time."

He helped Shade up and walked into the Forest Clearing. Shade followed looking at the thin white trees with leaves that made it look square. There were none of those creatures around, which was a relief to her.

"Those creatures..."she said slowly. "What're they called?"

"Heartless," he replied stopping in the middle of the clearing. "They're living darkness that feed off of people's hearts. There're are a few other creatures like that but I only know of two other species; Dream Eaters, which feed off dreams and only live in the Realm of Sleep, and Nobodies, which are creatures without hearts and that we might encounter." He thought of Xemnas at that point.

Shade couldn't get her head round all this.

"Could you explain it in simpler terms?" she asked.

Riku sighed out of frustration, but quickly remembered that Shade was new to all this, and that he himself had asked all this to Maleficent when he had first met her. He turned round.

"This universe is split into four realms," he explained "The first one is the Realm of Light, where nearly all the worlds are in. It has its own special Keyblade, the Kingdom Key, which my friend, Sora, has. The second realm is the Realm of Darkness, where all the Heartless live. The Heartless are attracted to the hearts of people and worlds in the Realm of Light and frequently attack the worlds if someone lets them in. Do you follow?"

Shade nodded slowly, taking it all in. Riku continued.

"Next is the Realm Between, where Twilight Town and Yen Sid's tower are in. Aside from that there are few other worlds that are there." He could think of a few others but decided they weren't important. "Finally there is the Realm of Sleep where worlds go to if their hearts are stolen. Dream Eaters are the forms that darkness takes and they feed off of dreams. That cleared things up?"

Shade nodded her head quickly. Riku smiled (or at least how he smiles) and walked over to her.

"Now I'll teach you how to summon a Keyblade. Hold out your hand and using all your willpower, think of your Keyblade. It helps if you say Keyblade as well."

Shade did as she was told and closed her eyes. She thought of her Keyblade; its black body, orange tip, teeth and guard, the blue and purple gem at the hilt.

'_Keyblade,' _she thought. '_Keyblade.'_

Nothing happened.

"It won't work if it doesn't come from your heart," she heard Riku say. "A Keyblade is a weapon of the heart."

'_Right. Heart...' _she thought going deep into her heart.

She felt something well up inside her. A slight burning sensation flared through her hand and, after whoosh of light, she grasped the handle of something. Slowly, Shade opened one eye. Her face lit up at the sight of her Keyblade. Riku was impressed. Even he had difficulty summoning his Keyblade the first time. Although he knew this wasn't Shade's first time at summoning one.

Shade squealed with excitement, jumping up and down until the sounds of dark portals could be heard behind them. Riku instinctively summoned his Way to the Dawn and pivoted. Shade stopped celebrating and turned round. The duo was surrounded by several Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, Dire Plants, Soldiers and Shadows.

"Just in time," Riku said, almost chuckling. "Ready? It's fight or flight, Shade."

"I choose fight," Shade said baring a determined look.

The two began attacking the Heartless, hacking and slashing away at them, Riku with very little effort, Shade with less effort than she thought. Shade quickly learned to block and deflect the Dire Plants' seeds back at them, dispatching them quickly. Riku was firing Dark Firagas at the Blue Rhapsodys, periodically stopping to perform Cyclones on the Soldiers. Not long after the scuffle started they had killed all of the Heartless.

"You OK?" Riku asked her.

"Just a tad...out of breath," she panted. "Not used to...fighting that...many enemies."

"Oh, you'll get used to it," he shrugged, getting an annoyed look from Shade.

He began to walk before sniffing manically, getting an odd look from Shade.

"What are you doing?" she asked, fearing a little for her safety.

Before Riku could answer a dark corridor appeared in front of them. Out stepped an all too familiar sight. With an air of superiority, a long black robe and a long staff, Maleficent walked towards them. She stopped at the sight of Riku.

"Riku my dear, it's been too long," she sneered.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I should be asking _you_ that question, boy," she said simply. Shade caught her eye. "Oh! You've got a new friend! Bless you!" She walked up to her, cackling, and grabbed her chin. "Interesting...you're something new. Although, Riku has always liked people from the darkness...Perhaps he hasn't given up on his dreams of power?"

"That was different though," he replied as Shade batted away Maleficent's hand. "I'm stronger now. Smarter. And I know that siding with darkness doesn't end well."

Maleficent's lips curled into a smile.

"Well, if you're smart, you will know that this is my world and who else resides here," she said cryptically before taking her leave.

It didn't take long for Riku to figure out what she had meant. He grabbed Shade's (who was disgusted by Maleficent) hand and ran towards the castle that he could see through the clearing.

"I don't get it, why are we running off?" Shade asked, trying to keep up with Riku. "What did she mean?"

"There's a very special Princess who lives in this world," Riku said, keep his eyes straight ahead. "And she's in danger. We have to protect her before anything bad happens."

Shade didn't understand completely but nodded in agreement. Together they powered up the Bridge, taking out any Heartless that stood in their way. In a short amount of time they had entered the Audience Chamber. No sooner had they got in a barrier formed at the door and by the stairs. A large amount of Deserters appeared and began running around like headless chickens.

"Oh no," Riku groaned in dismay. "I hate Deserters."

"Why?" Shade asked curiously.

"They run away if you try to attack them. Plus they're just downright irritating."

"Ah."

'_Still,' _Riku thought _'This'll be good practice for her.' _

The two began to chase after the Deserters, initiating a long chase sequence that Benny Hill would have been proud of. Shade attempted to slash one with her Keyblade but it artfully dodged out of the way. Another came near. She managed to combo that one and it disappeared into darkness releasing a heart in the process. But since she'd done that all the Deserters, including the ones Riku had managed to corner, ran towards her. They began to slash her with their white claws. She tried to fight them off but she was quickly overwhelmed.

_Enchanted Dominion -Aurora's Chamber-_

Pete laughed as Aurora hid behind Prince Philip. His orders were simple; help Maleficent with capturing the Princesses of Heart in return for his in kingdom when Maleficent conquers all the worlds.

Prince Philip drew his sword, holding a hand out to try and stop Pete. Pete just laughed again.

"Oh, so you think you're a big shot, huh?" he sneered. "Well that sword'll do nothin' to my Heartless!"

To prove his point he summoned several Shadows, Sergeants and a few Hook Bats. Aurora gasped at the sight of her kidnappers again. Prince Philip looked braver than he was. Those monsters that had attacked this world before were similar, but these creatures were different and gave off an air of fear.

Smiling, Pete ordered the Heartless to subdue the Prince and capture Aurora.

_Enchanted Dominion -Audience Hall-_

Riku looked on as the Deserters battered Shade. She was covered in scratches and was unable to do anything as she didn't know any magic. Riku ran over to Shade and held up his Keyblade.

"_Gather!"_ he shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.

A large orb appeared above him, drawing in all the Deserters and suspending them in the air. Riku unleashed a barrage of Dark Firaga destroying all the Deserters. He crouched down next to Shade. She had received an awful lot of cuts and bruises from the Deserters and was bleeding badly.

"Curaga," Riku said quietly. Shade's injuries began to heal.

"How did you do that stuff?" she asked him.

"Magic," he replied. "If we ever pass by Hollow Bastion I'll get Merlin to teach you some."

Shade stood up, her head down.

"I bet you think I'm weak compared to you..." she said bitterly.

"Hey, you're still a novice, you'll get better," Riku reassured her. "And I don't think you're weak, it was just unfortunate circumstances we came up against Deserters, that's all."

Shade looked at him. She could tell he was being honest. Shade smiled at him then walked to the stairs. Riku followed.

"The barrier's gone," she said cheerfully. "Let's go get this Princess you mentioned."

Riku nodded and ran ahead of her. Shade ran after him, wondering if life as a Keyblade wielder was always like this.

The two managed to locate Aurora's room and found an unconscious tall brown-haired man who looked like he had been in a violent fight. Aurora was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn," Riku muttered. "We're too late."

Shade walked up to the tall man and shook his shoulder

"Hey. Hey, wake up," she said softly. The man stirred and sat up. "What's your name?"

"Prince Philip," the man replied, grasping his head. He frantically looked around the room. "Where's Aurora?"

"She's not here," Riku said.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed.

"What happened?"

"A large cat-like person arrived asking for Aurora. I tried to defend her but he summoned these monsters to attack me. I don't remember anything after that."

"I bet he's taken her to Maleficent," Riku said, knowing who had kidnapped Aurora.

Philip's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Maleficent's back?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," Shade said, realising something had happened between the Princess, Prince and Maleficent before.

The Prince got up and unsheathed his sword and walked past Riku before stopping in the doorway.

"Maleficent will be at the Forbidden Mountain," he said. "If you wish to help I'll take you there."

Riku nodded. Shade stood and walked to him.

"Forbidden Mountain?" she whispered to him. "Why does that sound so scary yet so cool at the same time?"


	7. Fighting the Darkness

**Author's note: **Woo! Chapter 7! Read it! (not being rude btw, just in a good mood)

* * *

_Enchanted Dominion_

They left the castle in hurry, Prince Philip fearing for Aurora. Shade didn't know what to think other than Maleficent was an evil hag. Riku, while he didn't show it, was worried. If Maleficent was after the Aurora then it could only mean she was after the seven Princesses again.

The trio tore down the Bridge, Philip leading the way. They stopped every now and then to take out any Heartless that appeared, and then carried on towards Forbidden Mountain. They soon made it to the Waterside where they were cornered by a group of Large Bodies. A barrier formed either side of the Waterside.

"Large Bodies," Riku cursed. He spoke up a bit. "Your Royal Highness, stand back, leave these to us!"

The Prince did as he was told. Riku turned to Shade.

"You're gonna perform a Strike Raid," he said. She looked nervous. "It's simple; just encase your Keyblade in light and through it at them. It'll come straight back, hitting them again. It's the only way to attack these things from the front."

Shade nodded and did as she was told. Surprisingly it worked and she threw the Keyblade and it struck several Large Bodies that were close together, striking them again on the way back. Shade looked pleased with herself as she caught it. Riku did the same and took out a small group.

"Hey, Riku?" Shade asked, picking up the rewards of the battle.

"Mm?"

"Why do Heartless drop munny?"

Riku paused for a minute.

"You know what? I don't know," he shrugged. He looked around. "But what you should be asking is...why haven't the barriers gone down?"

It was strange. There were no Heartless around, but the barriers hadn't gone down. But then on closer inspection...

"Those aren't Heartless barriers," Shade said. "They look like green flames."

Riku looked at them properly. Sure enough Shade was right. Riku swore to himself that he hadn't noticed before.

"It looks like we're stuck," Prince Philip said stating the obvious.

Shade sighed out of frustration and began hacking away pointlessly at the flames. Riku walked up to and put a hand on her shoulder.

"That won't work," he said simply.

"I don't like being stuck in places!" she shouted angrily. "That's one of the reason I agreed to be your apprentice and now..."

"Hush, child," came the soft voice of an elderly woman. "Shouting won't get you anywhere."

The three looked to the sky. Three lights were floating down, one red, one blue and one green. When they got close to the ground they turned into three short women with grey hair, though one of them had black hair. Prince Philip smiled.

"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather!" he exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here! Maleficent has taken Aurora!"

"Oh no!" Fauna gasped. "We've just escaped from there but we didn't know that she had done that!"

"Oh, rats!" Merryweather said. "Looks like Aurora needs help again!"

"Well dears, it looks like we have a job to do again," Flora said with a determined look. "First things first..."

The three fairies turned and waved their wands at the barriers. The flames died down. Riku turned to Flora.

"Thanks. We can take it from here."

Riku ran to Forbidden Mountain followed closely by Shade and Prince Philip. When they got there Riku stood at the foot of the trail, looking up at the castle. He was a little impressed. Prince Philip stood there, dreading another trip to Maleficent's domain. Shade looked up at it, looking at the eerie clouds that surrounded it.

"You know I said it was really scary and really cool at the same time," she asked. Riku nodded. "Well ignore the really cool part..."

"You scared?" he asked cockily.

"No!" Shade said defensively. "I'm just a little...nervous, that's all."

XX

_Forbidden Mountain -Maleficent's Throne Room-_

Maleficent sat on her throne watching her goons scurry about, keeping watch for anything suspicious. There was no need for Heartless in her domain. Sure they were good and got the job done, but as she already had an army she didn't bother with Heartless much when she was in her own world. The sound of a door creaking open caught her attention. It was Pete. He was carrying a bound and gagged Aurora.

"Why Pete, you've actually managed to prove useful for once," Maleficent said with some surprise.

Pete took some offense to this, but didn't say anything to defend himself. The thought of his own kingdom outweighed his courage. He took the Princess to Maleficent, dropping her by Maleficent's feet.

Maleficent took Aurora's head in one of her green hands. Aurora curled her nose up in disgust.

"You were always too pretty for your own good," Maleficent sneered. "You never knew your importance until I took you for my plans. And you think your Prince Philip will be able to help you? That pathetic man doesn't even know my true power!"

If Aurora could speak then she would remind Maleficent of how her husband defeated her many years ago, but she couldn't so she just continued to listen, wondering why villains monologue so much.

Maleficent turned to Pete.

"So, er...are we gettin' on with the plan now?" he asked.

"Patience, my friend," she smiled. "All in due time. We just have to bait the Keyblade brats first..."

XX

_Forbidden Mountain -Courtyard- _

The trio looked over the grey stone wall they were hiding behind, keeping low to the ground. The courtyard was full of short, hooded, ugly looking creatures that carried clubs, spears and bows and arrows.

Riku thought for a minute. He could take on a good number of them, and he had Shade and the Prince with him. But the problem was that, although they looked weak, they could be dangerous in large numbers, like Shadows or Dusks, and it seemed that they were more organised than they let on.

"I think we should keep quiet and try and go around them instead of through them," he whispered after debating it in his head.

"But...we can take them!" Shade protested, still keeping her voice quiet.

"Yes we probably can," Prince Philip agreed. "But then what?"

Shade looked unsure. The Prince continued.

"If we attack them they will sound the alarm meaning more of them will come. We can't fight everything that comes our way."

"And since I'm the only one that knows magic I'm the only one that can heal us," Riku added.

Shade nodded slowly deciding not to be as rash in the future.

Prince Philip beckoned for them to follow then scurried along the ground, keeping close to the wall and floor. After traversing much of the fortress (and having some near misses involving the goons) they found themselves in a circular room. Looking around, Riku saw Maleficent sat on a throne high above them, Pete stood next to her with one foot on Princess Aurora. He looked triumphant.

"The Princess!" Shade shouted, summoning her Keyblade.

Maleficent looked at Pete, who took a while to register that she was looking at him, and even longer to realise that she wanted him to fight. When it clicked, Pete jumped down to where the trio were, only to stumble over his own feet when he landed.

"Imbecile!" Maleficent muttered before standing up and walking down majestically to where they were. "You want the Princess back, I presume?"

The three nodded. Maleficent smiled. It was all going according to plan.

"Xehanort has asked me to gather all the Princesses for opening the door to Kingdom Hearts."

"And why would you take up that offer?" Riku asked, unsure of whether she was bluffing.

"Because he can give me all the power I want," she said simply, as if it were obvious.

Riku was unsure of what to think. Shade didn't know what was going on but felt an inner need to destroy the person she called Xehanort. Prince Philip only wanted Aurora back and took a fighting stance.

"In that case we'll have to stop you!" Riku said looking determined.

"My dear, you forget. I control all the powers of Hell!"


	8. Maleficent

**Author's Note:** My first real battle sequence. And also the start of the second plot that runs through this story. Yes it's like KH3D but Riku and Sora adventures aren't linked until about two thirds of the way through. Also to make it more entertaining the battles will have music set to it. For Maleficent it's Squirming Evil from the KH1 soundtrack.

Anyway enough rambling. Read and enjoy!

* * *

_Forbidden Mountain -Maleficent's Throne Room- _

Maleficent teleported to the centre of the room and pulled up several large stones to make a platform for herself, much like she had done against Sora two years ago. She began to cast several spells to intimidate her opponents. Naturally, Riku and Prince Philip weren't affected. Shade was more nervous than she let on.

Riku was the first to attack. He leaped up to the platform, swinging his Keyblade down on to the evil fairy. Maleficent blocked with her staff and sent Riku back with a gust of wind, but not before he unleashed a few Firaga balls.

Maleficent summoned several Heartless, including Darkballs and Defenders. As soon as she was happy that they were causing enough distractions, she set about casting several Dark Thundagas. However, she failed to notice that Prince Philip had been steadily making his way to her, knocking back Heartless on his way.

The Prince jumped on to the platform and began striking at Maleficent, silently praying for his sword to still be enchanted.

"Go on, Your Royal Highness!" Shade cheered while taking out a Sergeant with a strike raid.

Riku was too busy with some of Maleficent's goons that had shown up. He held his hand in the air to show his support, dodging a Dark Thundaga in the process.

"You idiot! You cannot defeat me!" Maleficent shrieked attacking him with her staff.

Prince Philip deflected it and stabbed Maleficent with his sword. She encased herself in flames to protect herself, but not before she received a nasty stab from him. She paid no attention to it and carried fighting against the enraged royal. The fairy encased her hand in green flame and blasted fire at the Prince. He dodged it, but lost his balance in the process and fell back into the fray.

Pete, who had come back to his senses, stood up and looked around. He quickly flexed his arms and shook a fist at Riku and Prince Philip.

"Don't ya dare mess with Maleficent!" he yelled, only to be knocked back unconscious by a smug Shade.

Shade looked at Maleficent who had sent several meteors down on Riku and Prince Philip. She charged up her Keyblade and launched a strike raid at her. It struck Maleficent in the chest, then again in the back on its return. Maleficent glared at Shade, infuriated that she was attacked by such a novice.

She slammed her staff in to the platform and shot a beam of dark energy at Shade. Shade was too scared to dodge and ended up being knocked back in to the wall.

"Shade!" Riku shouted as he shot a Dark Firaga at a nearby Defender.

"I'm ok," she coughed. "Just a little bruised."

To prove her point, Shade stood up and began attacking some Darkballs. But she was still unsteady. Riku felt that he couldn't let the battle drag out much longer.

"Prince Philip!" he shouted, skipping the formalities. "You might want to get out of the way!"

Before the Prince could ask why he saw Riku encase himself in a dark flame. As he hurried out of the way Riku pulled a Dark Aura attack and dashed around the battlefield. He had gotten rid of Maleficent's platform and most of the Heartless.

Shade noticed this and ran up to Maleficent (still drifting slightly off course) and slashed her arm. Maleficent screamed and grasped her arm in pain. She looked at her hand. It was covered in blood.

Deciding for a hasty retreat, Maleficent backed up to the now dazed but conscious Pete and summoned a dark corridor.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" she hissed, seething with anger.

"Yeah, we've heard it all before," Riku said in an almost bored tone.

After the two villains disappeared the trio ran up to where Princess Aurora was. Prince Philip quickly untied her and helped her up. She kissed her husband, putting Shade and Riku in an awkward situation.

Shade cleared her throat. The Princess turned around.

"Oh my, I almost forgot to thank you!" she said, surprised by her own lack of notice. She ran up and hugged Shade. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Shade said, bowing when the Princess let go.

Aurora turned to Riku. She frowned, recognising him but not being able to pinpoint where. Her face changed to a smile after a few seconds.

"Thank you for helping Prince Philip defeat Maleficent and her horrible brute of a partner."

"No problem."

As they headed out of the castle the goons ran away at the sight of them. News had spread quickly that their leader had been defeated in battle and, as it happened, they were pretty much useless without her giving them orders.

On the path down from the ruined castle Shade turned to Riku.

"So...why is the Princess so important?" she asked.

"Princess Aurora is one of the Princesses of Heart," he explained. Shade looked him, not understanding her importance. Riku sighed. "There are seven in total; Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Alice and Kairi. Their hearts have no darkness in them and when brought together they can open the Final Keyhole to Kingdom Hearts." He looked sad at that point.

"What's wrong?" Shade asked, concerned at Riku sudden burst of emotion.

"I'll tell you later..."

"Okay...What about Xehanort? Who's he?"

"Master Xehanort is an elderly Keyblade wielder who wants Kingdom Hearts for himself. He's the man we're preparing to fight. If he wins the war, then it's bad news for the worlds."

Shade felt a sharp stinging pain in her heart. She grabbed hold of her chest and began breathing sharply.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked, holding her up.

"S'nothing," she replied. "Just..." The pain went away as quickly as it came. "...Gone now..."

She stood up straight, looked at Riku and smiled.

"Nothing to worry about!" she said happily.

Riku looked at her confused. There was more to this girl than she let on, whether she knew it or not. And if what the gang back in Twilight Town said then he had best keep an eye on her.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the Prince and Princess walking up to them.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me rescue Aurora," Prince Philip smiled.

"You will be welcomed as heroes," Aurora said.

"Thanks," Riku said with a bow of the head, while pulling out the Star Shard. "But we have to go."

"Then when you return, you will be welcomed as heroes."

Shade smiled and grabbed Riku's hand. In a flash of light they disappeared, leaving a smiling Aurora and a bewildered Prince Philip.

_The World That Never Was -Dark City-_

Maleficent healed the cut on her arm with dark magic. It was going to leave a rather nasty scar. Pete stood next to her, looking around at the city they were in.

"Boy, this place is a lot spookier than I remember it," he said nervously.

"You need not worry, Pete," Maleficent soothed "Now that we have baited those Keyblade wielding brats they will be more determined to get rid of that fool Xehanort. And when he has gone, we will crush those fools and take over the worlds!"

Maleficent began to cackle maniacally. Pete looked at her then at the ruined castle that had crashed in a higher part of the city, unsure of what to do.

Maleficent continued to cackle, almost uncontrollably.

_Autumn Woods -Shaded Path-_

The path was littered with leaves that were as golden as the sun. Some were still falling from the branches, tossed around in the gentle breeze. Sora, Kairi and Lea had been walking down the path for what seemed like an hour, having not found any Heartless or people along the way. Sora was getting tired, despite the amount of walking he had done on his previous adventures, and Lea was just plain bored.

On the other hand, Kairi was just happy to be out of her own world. Sure she had been to a few others, but she had either been kidnapped or in a coma at the time. She was skipping ahead of the boys, stopping occasionally to inhale the smell of the fresh air.

"How does she have so much energy?" Lea asked, trying to make conversation.

"Beats me," Sora shrugged. "I think she's just happy to be on another world. It's been our dream since we were kids."

He laughed at the memory. Lea sighed and looked ahead. The group were coming up to a high, curved, light grey wall. At the foot of it, at the end of the path was a gate with a smallish booth attached to the side. In the booth was a fat man with a brown moustache. He looked bored. When he caught sight of the trio his face lit up and he beckoned them to come over.

"Hello travellers!" he said in a jolly voice. "Welcome to Bloomingdale! Would you like to get one of our special ticket offers? 3 people for two days for only 250 munny!"

"Erm..." Kairi said uneasily.

"Did I mention that girls with red hair go in for free today?"

"Well with that sort of offer, we have to take it up. Got it memorized?" Lea said happily, walking behind Kairi with Sora following him.

"We'll take the offer," he said pulling out a bag of munny.

After entering the town the gang took a look around. It was full of medieval buildings and shops, though the people were dressed in modern clothes. It seemed like the perfect match between past and present.

"Hey, what's that?" Sora said pointing to a stage in the town square, curiosity getting the better of him.

He ran off with Kairi following him.

"Just like Roxas," Lea muttered with a sigh before joining them.

The banner above the stage had 'weekly Bloomingdale rally' written on it in big black letters and there was a large crowd that was made up of most of the townsfolk. Before Sora could push to the front Lea grabbed his hood and pulled him back.

"We're not from this world,"Lea whispered. "We'll look suspicious."

"Right."

After a sufficient amount of people had gathered, a man in a purple suit came up to the front of the stage. He had tea green hair, amber eyes and pointed ears. Sora's face fell slightly at the sight.

They had found one of the members of the new Organization XIII.


	9. Keyblade Wielders, a Girl and an Elf

**Author's Note:** Sounds dodgy but it isn't. The two girls that are part of this arc are based off two of my friends. Yes they actually are together. But this isn't becoming a yuri fanfic, so all you Kairixgirl otakus and fans- you're not getting anything :3

Now onwards and upwards! (Except the last part)

* * *

_Autumn Woods -Bloomingdale, Town Square-_

The green-haired Xehanort clone stood at the edge of the stage, a microphone in his hand. He raised his other hand and the crowd cheered. The man smiled a kind, warm smile which unnerved the Keyblade wielders. He beckoned for the cheering crowd to remain silent.

"My people," he said, his voice magnified across the square. "This week I am glad to inform you that the excavation process is almost complete! Soon, Bloomingdale will be the wealthiest town in the kingdom! No more will we have to rely on our travelling merchants to support our town. We will finally be able to stand on our own feet..."

The trio watched the man from the end of the crowd, unsure of what to say or do. If they react against the man, who clearly had a lot of power in the town, they would be in deep trouble. But they couldn't pass the opportunity to kill a member of the Organization by. Sora thought for a moment.

'_If this guy is a member of the Organization then we have to kill him. But how?'_

The crowd cheered, but not be for Sora heard a scream. He looked at the others. Kairi had heard it too and Lea had already set off in that direction. Sora hadn't taken him for the hero type.

The two followed Lea, having no idea where they were going, nor how Lea knew where to go. Another scream, identifiably female, was heard. The gang rounded a corner and found themselves in an alley way. At the other end were two girls, one had long black hair with white edges tied in to a long, low ponytail and long, pointed ears. The other was slightly shorter and had shoulder-length pink hair with a purple fringe. Both had red eyes and wore black T-shirts with jeans. Between the two groups was a group of Neoshadows.

Instinctively, Sora set to work on the Neoshadows, followed by Lea with his Keyblade. Kairi, although a little uncertain, joined in the scuffle soon after. The pink-haired girl set about shooting fireballs, and the other girl began constricting the Heartless with water. Lea decided now wasn't the time to ask about it. Sora and Kairi were too busy fighting to notice.

In about two minutes the group had taken care of the Heartless. The trio looked up at the two girls.

"Who are you?" the pink-haired girl said rudely.

"Kaede, that's no way way to talk to our rescuers!" the other girl said sternly.

"Oh, no need to thank us," Lea said sarcastically. "We just saved your lives after all."

"We had it perfectly under control, thank you very much," retorted the pink-haired girl (Kaede).

"Ignore her, she has a few anger issues," the black-haired girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm Amaya, this is Kaede." She pointed at Kaede who was glaring at them like the devil. "Thank you for saving us."

"No problem," Sora smiled, putting his hands behind his head. "Glad we could help. I'm Sora and this is Kairi and Lea."

They nodded their heads at their names.

Kaede tugged on Amaya's T-shirt.

"Okasan, they're not from here," she whispered, standing on her toes to reach Amaya's long ears. "What if they're with _him_?"

Amaya looked at Kaede, who looked a little nervous.

"Relax," Amaya said softly, stroking Kaede's hair. "I trust them. They helped us, so now we help them with whatever it is they need."

Amaya kissed Kaede, leaving Sora and Lea slightly open-mouthed. Kairi looked on awkwardly. The two girls looked at them.

"What?" Kaede said innocently.

"Nothing," Kairi said. "It's just...never mind." She elbowed Sora in the gut. Lea had already gotten over the fact they had kissed.

"Oh ok," Kaede said, smiling. She skipped past them happily, forgetting the distrust she felt towards the Keyblade wielders.

The trio watched her, and then turned simultaneously to look at Amaya.

Amaya shrugged.

"C'mon!" Kaede called to them. "We'll take you to where we live!"

XXX

_Autumn Woods -Bloomingdale, Amaya's House-_

Sora, Kairi, Lea and Kaede sat around a table drinking tea (coffee in Axel's case). Amaya's house was a quaint little house that wasn't too far from the alley they had rescued them from. The walls were cream coloured and the floor was wooden like most of the furniture (excluding the sofa and the TV). The kitchen was small, but had just about every appliance in there somehow. Kaede had shown them the upstairs which had one large bedroom (most likely for the two girls Kairi had thought) a smaller bedroom for guests and a bathroom, which looked like every other bathroom.

The trio were listening to Kaede quietly sing a rather beautiful song (called Lilium), unsure of what to say to the girl. Amaya was in the kitchen, making the five of them some soup. Lea took a sip of his coffee and spoke up.

"So you're a pyrokinetic, huh?"

"Hmm, what?" Kaede asked, stopping the singing abruptly before registering the question. "Oh! Yeah, I kind of am I suppose. I've been able to do it since I was little. Amaya-Okasan says it's a gift."

"What does Okasan mean?" Sora asked.

"It's mother in Japanese," Kairi replied.

Sora made a face.

"Relax, she's not my real Okasan!" Kaede laughed. "We're the same age for a start."

"So why do you call her Okasan?" Sora asked.

Kaede's face saddened a bit. She sighed.

"My real Okasan abandoned me because of the way I...liked girls."

"That's awful!" Sora gasped

"Some people are so ignorant," Lea said disdainfully, taking another sip of coffee.

"Amaya took me in and said she'd look after me and be my new Okasan." Kaede smiled a bit. "She loves me for me."

"Awwww, that's so sweet," Kairi sighed.

"Soup's ready!" Amaya shouted from the kitchen. "Kaede, will you help me bring it out?"

Kaede got up and ran to the kitchen, leaving Lea, Sora and Kairi to go over things.

"They're a bit weird don't you think?" Lea asked.

"No weirder than you," Sora laughed.

Lea hit lightly on the shoulder. Sora returned with a sharp kick in the shins.

"I think they make a nice couple," Kairi said. "You can tell they care about each other a lot."

The two boys nodded in agreement.

Amaya and Kaede came out carrying a silver tray each with bowls of soup on. They handed them out and Sora and Lea wolfed theirs down. Kairi was a bit more ladylike, but still ate relatively quickly. Kaede and Amaya looked at each other, then at the others.

"Someone's hungry," Amaya laughed.

"Haven't...had...decent...meal...in...a...month," Sora repied between mouthfuls.

"Haven't eaten a proper meal in a long time," Lea said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

The girls joined them, albeit taking more time with their soup.

"What's with your ears?" Lea asked Amaya after a while.

"Lea!" Sora and Kairi shouted at the same time.

"What? I'm curious."

"It's ok," Amaya replied with a slight giggle. "I'm an elf."

"Come off it," Lea laughed. "I thought elves were tiny things."

"That's only in stories," Amaya explained. "To tell you the truth I'm not even from this world. I came here using this thing."

She held up a Star Shard. Sora and Kairi only looked mildly shocked from this news. Lea didn't even seem interested.

"You're not surprised?" Amaya asked, swallowing a mouthful of soup.

"No," Sora said honestly. "We're from another world too."

"Really?" Kaede asked excitedly. "Which one?"

"We can't tell you that," Kairi replied. "Sorry."

Kaede looked a little disheartened and went back to her soup. After the girls had finished Everyone transferred to the chairs and the sofa and watched TV. Lea, out of boredom and not wanting to waste time, asked more questions.

"Who's the green haired man?"

"Mayor Cyrus," Amaya said solemnly. "He's a smooth talking, horrible man who is controlled by greed."

"He wasn't that bad until a few months ago when his eyes and ears changed," Kaede continued on. Amaya nodded in agreement. "That's when those monsters started appearing around town."

The trio sat and thought for a moment. They had already made the connection that the Heartless were around because of him. And it seemed that the Kaede and Amaya had made that link as well, even if no-one else in the town had done so. Kairi coughed slightly, snapping Sora and Lea out of there stream of thoughts.

"Do you want to see what his big excavation is?" Amaya said eagerly.

The trio nodded.

Amaya got up and walked to the door, beckoning the other four to follow. Outside the sun was beginning to set and there were very few people outside. Kaede linked arms with Amaya, getting squeals from Kairi.

Sora took hold of Kairi's hand. She looked at him and smiled. Lea sighed and pushed them along. The five of them walked peacefully to the town gates.

_Autumn Woods -Bloomingdale, Cyrus's Office-_

Cyrus looked out of the window of office, inspecting the town as it went down for the night.

The curfew he had put in place was working perfectly. Spotting the trouble makers when there was nobody else about was a stroke of genius. And his excavation project for gold was a good plan too. He smiled to himself at the thought of the power he would get when the Blade was forged.

His office door opened and his advisor came in.

"What is it, Alex?" Cyrus asked, his voice a far cry from the one he used to address the crowds.

"Erm...it seems that...er..." Alex stammered.

"Yes, yes, spit it out!"

"It seems...we have...some visitors."

"What?!" Cyrus shouted with some anger.

His advisor quivered a little as Cyrus walked up to him, his face full of fury.

"What did I say about letting in people who aren't part of our town?!" he shouted, a black aura surrounding him.

"Th-that we shouldn't let anyone in."

"And _why _did I say that?"

"'Cause they might ruin the plan..."

"Exactly!"

Cyrus held out his hand. Alex began to back away with fear. He knew what was coming. Cyrus's hand glowed blue. He closed it quickly.

Alex disappeared in a blue light, leaving only his clothes behind.

Cyrus turned back around and walked to his computer, checking the videos the cameras had picked up a few hours ago. Sure enough, at the west entrance to Bloomingdale, were three travellers. The two males looked like two of the ones that were at Where Nothing Gathers. One of them he knew was Sora.

"Well...this certainly brings some complications," he mused.


	10. Tunnels

**Author's Note:** Yes, my second update in 24 hours. Ok so I got a question about the seven lights. Well if you've played KH3D Xehanort says at the end that he plans to make seven Keyblade Wielders of Light fight thirteen Keyblade Wielders of Darkness (Org. XIII). Sora and Riku are obvious as are Aqua and Ven, but they won't be appearing until _much_ later. Kairi I won't say if you haven't seen the end of 3D as with Lea, but you can probably guess why. Shade is the final Light. Why not Terra? Well you'll see :3

On with the chapter!

* * *

_Autumn Woods -Shady Path- _

The gang were waiting about a mile out of Bloomingdale. Amaya was making a phone call to someone that she and Kaede referred to as Kara. Sora looked at the walls of Bloomingdale in the distance. It was difficult to make out the entrance now and it was starting to get cold, but the sunset did more than make up for the drop in temperature.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kairi said, still holding hands with Sora.

"Not as beautiful as the one on the Islands," Sora joked.

"No. But it's different. It's wonderful to see the sun set on a different world."

Kaede, who was stood by Amaya looked at them, then at Lea, who was looking anywhere but the direction of Sora and Kairi. She walked up to him and tugged on his T-shirt. He snapped out of whatever he was thinking of and looked at her. He could tell what the question was going to be.

"Are they going out?" she asked, pointing at Sora and Kairi.

Yup. He was right.

"I honestly don't even know," he sighed, looking at the couple. "You'd think so but...I don't think they've even admitted they fancy each other." He looked back at Kaede. "You're best talking to Riku about that. Got it memorized?"

Kaede looked at the ground, then back at Lea with a look that said: "who?"

"One of their friends," Lea laughed. "Don't worry I'm sure you'll meet him one day. He's a nice kid...Bit odd."

"We can hear you, you know," Sora said, not looking at them.

Lea ignored them and looked over at Amaya, who was deep in conversation with Kara.

"What is she doing?"

"Catching up," Kaede replied, looking over at Amaya. "Kara is a mercenary who goes from town to town sorting out any problems." She looked at Lea with a serious expression. "He's basically and assassin-for-hire."

Lea smiled.

"Ah. I know what it's like to be stuck with the icky jobs."

Their conversation was interrupted by Amaya. She looked satisfied.

"Kara will be here in a few minutes," she said. "He's just collecting his pay."

"If he's in another town, how will he get here so quick?" Lea asked.

"Teleport bracelet," Kaede replied as if it were obvious.

Lea smiled and nodded, trying to look as if he knew that. Amaya walked up to the other two, who were still watching the sunset. She stood next to them and smiled.

"Nice, isn't it?" she said, turning her head slightly. "Nothing beats watching the sunset. Especially when it's with the one you love."

Sora and Kairi let go of each other's hands, looking at each other, blushing. Amaya laughed, took their hands and put them together again.

"There's nothing wrong with loving someone," she smiled, before her ears pricked up.

She looked at the empty path behind Lea and Kaede (Sora let go of Kairi's hand again). The wind stirred and leaves blew across it. It picked up speed and everyone except Amaya, who was stood still letting the wind blow her long hair about, tried to push against the gale.

"Relax!" Amaya shouted over the roar of the gale. "It's just a side effect of the teleporter!"

The gale ceased as quickly as it started. In front of them was a tall man, who looked slightly older than Amaya and Kaede. He had shoulder length, scruffy brown hair which was held up in three spikes by a large sweatband-like accessory and a long, black trench coat, black jeans and a white shirt. He had two cuts on his right cheek and across his eyes was a pair of yellow sunglasses.

"Yo!" he said cheerfully.

"Hey, long time no see!" Amaya waved back before walked up to him and examining his cuts. "You should be more careful, you know. So what's the story behind them?"

"Got into a fight with a stray werewolf," he shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Lea snorted at the werewolf comment.

"Kara-kun!" Kaede shouted, glomping him tightly.

"Hey! How's my favourite Pinky?" he said, wriggling out of Kaede's grip.

"I'm fine. We're getting by," she replied, smiling. "How'd your last job fare?"

Kara got something out of his coat pocket. It was a bag full of munny and, from the looks of things, it was quite heavy.

"100,000 munny," he said proudly. "Not the best pay for kill the Demon of Scoutes, but still."

He looked around at the other three, until his gaze fell on Kairi. He walked up to her, took her hand and kissed it.

"Enchanté," he said as he did so.

Sora growled at him.

"What? Is she your girlfriend?" he asked before laughing. "If that's the case then you can do so much better than him, babes."

Sora summoned his Kingdom Key. Instinctively, Kara pulled out two red pistols and pointed them at Sora.

"Kara-kun is a flirt, Sora-kun," Kaede said, getting between the two. "He doesn't mean anything."

Sora let his Keyblade fall slightly and Kara put his guns back in their holsters. He turned to Amaya.

"So you want to see Cyrus's excavation?" he said with a smile.

Amaya nodded.

"It'll cost you."

"You charge your own friends for help?" Sora asked in disbelief. "What kind of person are you?"

"Please, I'm a mercenary, I don't do jobs for free," he replied as if it were obvious. "It's not much, just 150 munny."

Kara walked off in the direction of the mines, followed by Amaya, Kaede, Lea and Kairi. Sora frowned at the mercenary. He had taken a slight dislike to the man. And that's putting it lightly.

XXX

_Autumn woods -Mine Entrance-_

The group (minus Kara) were hiding behind a large rock near the cave entrance. It was guarded by a handful of guards in black, militaristic uniforms. Each held an assault rifle and a pistol in a holster on the right thigh. Kara had gone a little bit ahead to 'persuade' the guards to back down. It hadn't worked and he was now in firefight with the guards. Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace and got up to help, only to be pulled back down by Kaede.

"Don't worry, Kairi-chan," Kaede smiled. "He knows what he's doing. In fact, he should be done in the three, two..."

"It's clear!" Kara shouted from the entrance.

Kaede giggled to herself and ran out to join him. Kairi looked at Amaya with a look that said: "how did she know that?" Amaya laughed and put a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"You learn these things when you've been friends with him for as long as we have."

When they had gotten out from behind the rock they saw Kara picking up the pistols, emptying them of their ammo and putting the ammo in his coat pockets. He noticed the odd looks he was getting from Sora, Kairi and Lea.

"What?"

"How do they all fit in there?" Kairi asked.

"They're bigger on the inside," Kara replied innocently.

As Kara finished pocketing his loot, the rest of the gang entered the mine tunnel. Lea frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Nothing."

"Are you scared?"

"No. I just don't like tunnels. Nothing good ever happens in a tunnel."

Sora took a look around the tunnel as they walked. It was dark, the only lights were the dim lanterns that hung from the ceiling. The ground was hard and crunched beneath their feet, which echoed slightly around them. The air was thick with the stench of fumes from diggers and as they got further down the tunnel it got hotter.

Lea was used to this, as was Kaede, and Amaya could keep cool due to affinity with water. Kara fanned himself with his hand and sighed a little. The heat quickly got to Sora and Kairi however and they soon found themselves lagging behind.

"Come on, keep up!" Kara shouted.

"We're not exactly used to this heat!" Sora protested angrily.

"Hold on," Amaya said, running up to them. "Here."

She cloaked them in a bubble which quickly absorbed into their bodies. Sora looked at himself.

"What did you do?"

"Cooled you, that's all. It'll wear off after a day."

Kairi shrugged at him and they walked a bit further. It wasn't long before they came across a steel door. Kara tried it but it wouldn't budge.

"Damn," he muttered. "We need a key."

Sora coughed and summoned his Keyblade. Walking up to the door, he pointed the Kingdom Key at the door. A beam of light shot out of it and poured into the lock. An unlocking sound was heard and the door swung open. He looked at Kara.

"Nice work, kid," Kara smiled.

Not the reaction Sora was hoping for.

Suddenly a barrier flew up in the doorway. Another appeared not too far down the tunnel. Soldiers and Darkballs appeared.

"Heartless!" Sora said.

The group readied their weapons, all except Kaede who looked around in panic.

"I haven't got a weapon!" she shouted.

Lea rolled his eyes and summoned his chakrams for the first time in a while. He ran over to Kaede and handed them to her.

"They're yours now," he said hurriedly. "Got it memorized?" He turned to Sora. "See? I told you nothing good ever comes out of tunnels!"


	11. Prison Rules

**Author's Note: **And so we reach Chapter 11 of Shadows of the Heart. I wanna take this author's note to thank everyone who has read SotH and even more so to those who are keeping tabs on it. You guys really keep me motivated to write. And while I'm not an attention seeking review hog it would be nice if you review cuz it makes warm and fuzzy inside :3

Onwards my friends! To Mordor!

* * *

_Autumn Woods -Rocky Tunnel-_

The group immediately launched themselves at the horde of Heartless. Sora and Lea cut through anything that got too close, barely taking any hits, while Kairi and Amaya worked their way up the tunnel using Water and Blizzard magic. Kara was holding his own against the monsters, shooting them with his pistols. Kaede seemed to be getting the hang of using the chakrams, throwing them around the Heartless, catching them off guard then slashing through them when she had the chance.

"What the heck are these things?!" she shouted.

"Living darkness!" Lea shouted back.

"Huh. I've never fought something as exciting as this," Kara mused before blasting another Darkball.

"Don't get too comfortable, Kara!" Amaya laughed, taking out a few Soldiers with a jet of water. "I don't think that barrier will fall until all of these things are gone."

Amaya jumped out of the way of another attack, landing near Sora and Lea. Sora was having fun hacking and slashing the Heartless to kingdom come, while Lea was muttering about how he missed his chakrams. Amaya noticed a Soldier leap up in Lea's direction.

"Look out!" she screamed, pushing Lea to the ground.

The Heartless landed on her face and began clawing at it. Amaya dropped to the floor and tried to pull it off her face.

"_Okasan!_" Kaede shouted in panic.

She ran over to Amaya and ripped the Heartless from her face before setting it alight. It disappeared into darkness. Kaede took a protective stance over Amaya, who was clutching her face.

Sora looked at the two girls. He decided it would be better to end to skirmish quickly. Drawing all his magic power he launched himself into his Limit- Break. He darted around the Heartless, slashing rapidly at them all, leaving nothing behind except the hearts they released.

When he was done, he went to check on Amaya. Kairi was holding Amaya's face up. It was covered in blood and cuts. Kaede was panicking about whether she would live or not, with Kara telling her to stop being ridiculous. Kairi threw up a Cura and Amaya's face healed, save for a small gash on her left cheek.

"Why hasn't that healed?" Kaede asked worryingly.

"That wound has darkness in it," Lea explained. "It won't heal using Cure magic, you need to have specialised magic for that."

Kaede looked at the ground, saddened.

"Hey, it's ok," Amaya reassured her. "I'm fine, honest."

Kara paced around for a minute then frowned.

"The nearest town I can think of that has the magic needed is Yorvan. But it's expensive, even for me."

Sora thought for a moment. Kairi looked at him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"Do you think Aerith will help her?"

Kairi thought too.

"I don't see why not."

"Great!" Sora smiled. "We can go to Hollow Bastion after were done here."

The group walked through the doorway and entered a large, circular cavern. It was full of machinery like jackhammers, diggers and included simpler tools such as pickaxes. The cavern was well lit and looked like it had been worked on a lot. The only sound that could be heard was the dripping of water.

Sora looked around. There was no sign of anything being excavated. He looked at Amaya questioningly.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't see anything being excavated..." he said, looking around again.

Kara pushed past him and stood in the centre of the cavern. He turned around on the spot in various directions, slapping his head occasionally and muttering something about the wi-fi being *insert swear word here* down here.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, slightly angered that Kara and pushed past him.

"Looking for a room behind...damn it!" he replied "I hate being in caves!"

Lea leaned over to Kaede's ear.

"What's wrong with him?" he whispered.

"His goggles have a heads-up display built in," she explained. "I think he's looking for a gap behind a wall."

As if to confirm this, Kara picked up a pickaxe and slammed into a wall not far from where the others were stood. The wall cracked and fell down, revealing a room on the other side. Kara gestured for them to follow him in.

The room on the other side of the cavern looked manmade, but old. There were cobwebs everywhere and the ceiling looked like it went on forever. Scattered around the room were torches. Kaede lit one. In the centre of the room was a large metallic, closed oyster shell that was covered in green lines. Kara opened his arms.

"This...is the Shell," he said. "Sought after by many people and referred to only as a legend." He turned to the group. "It is said it fell from the sky in a blaze of light and that anyone who can open it gets their heart's desire."

"Well done," said a cold voice from behind them.

The group whipped round to find Cyrus behind them, clapping slowly. He was wearing a gas mask but his eyes looked smug.

"I must commend you for finding the Shell," he continued as his clapping slowed to a stop. "But unfortunately, I can't let you go. You broke the curfew."

Before anyone could react he was behind Kara, grabbing a hold of his wrist. Cyrus ripped the teleport bracelet off, held ita aloft and crushed it with his hand. Kara managed to loosen his grip.

"Why you-!" he started.

Sora held up his hand. Kara stopped and looked at him, then gestured to Cyrus. Sora noticed what Kara was on about.

"Why are you wearing a gasmask?" Sora asked.

"Why?" Cyrus chuckled. "Because of the gas."

"What gas?" Kairi asked, slightly afraid.

"This gas."

Suddenly the room was filled with a green gas. The group coughed and fell to the floor one by one.

"Don't worry," Cyrus laughed. "It's just sleeping gas. You'll wake up in about half an hour. There's no sense in killing you yet, Sora."

The last thing Sora saw was Cyrus leering over him.

_Autumn Woods -Bloomingdale, Prison Cell-_

Sora woke up with a start. He looked around rapidly. The group were in a small room. The room was locked by several blue glowing plasma bars. They were in a jail cell. Kairi was still asleep, Kaede and Amaya were stirring. Kara was sat on the only wooden bench in the room. Lea on the other hand was leaning on the wall, arms folded. When noticed Sora, he nodded in the direction of the bars. Sora looked at them. On the other side was a rather smug looking Cyrus. Sora stood up, but quickly stumbled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cyrus said with mock concern. "The gas scrambles your senses."

Sora sat back down and summoned his Keyblade.

"Ah ah ah, this cell is Keyblade proof," Cyrus chuckled.

"You're bluffing," Sora said angrily.

"Am I? Ask your friend over there."

He pointed at Lea who nodded solemnly. Sora looked at Kara. Kara showed him his empty holsters. Sora looked back at Cyrus and cursed. Cyrus merely smiled.

"What do you want with the Shell?" Sora finally asked.

"My heart's desire," Cyrus replied matter-of-factly. "Riches I deserve! I will make this town the richest in the country, with me running it! No longer will we have to rely on loans from bigger towns!"

"So you want to help the town? Then why side with Xehanort?"

"Xehanort can give me power. And then it will be _my_ turn! Revenge!"

"...For what?" asked a now awake Amaya.

"For the treatment my peers gave me. I was always the runt, the nerd, the one that was disposable. No one ever wanted me on their teams, they used me for when they needed help."

"Were you wearing a purple suit?" Kara asked. "If you were, you deserved it!"

Cyrus ignored Kara and continued monologing: "And now with the Keyblade's power I will finally put them in their place."

"So that's it? Some personal vendetta?" Sora questioned. "It was in the past, it shouldn't matter now!"

"It matters to me," Cyrus retorted coldly. "Now if you'll excuse me I have business to attend to."

Cyrus turned and walked away, leaving the group stuck in their cell. Sora crawled over to Kairi and shook her.

"Hey, wake up" he said.

Kairi stirred and looked at him with tired eyes. When she recognised him she hugged him.

"Where are we?" she asked him.

"In prison," Sora replied.

"Cyrus has gone after the Shell," Kara explained. "And we're stuck here with no weapons or means of communication."

Kaede thought for a moment then remembered something.

"That's where you're wrong Kara-kun," she said with a devious smile.


	12. What We Say Is What We Do

**Author's Notes: **So we're reaching the conclusion of the Autumn Woods Arc, just two...no...one and half chapters to go. This chapter also introduces the final OC of this arc (cos I like my OCs.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Autumn Woods -Bloomingdale, Prison Cell-_

From out of nowhere, Kaede pulled out a mobile phone.

"Where did you get that?" Amaya asked nervously.

"You don't want to know," Kaede replied with a 'leave it be' look on her face.

Before anyone questioned her, Kaede began furiously typing numbers into the phone. Sora and Kairi were amazed at the speed she at which she was going, as was Kara. Lea looked mildly interested, but Amaya's eyes widened with fear the longer the number took to complete. Lea was the first to notice this.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That number..." she replied with obvious fear in her voice as Kaede pressed the call button. "There's only person in Bloomingdale with a number that long."

The group stood/sat in silence as Kaede let the phone ring out. As soon as it stopped ringing a loud bang was heard throughout the building. It was muffled and seemed to be come from several floors up. Next came the sound of man screaming, followed by gunfire which ended abruptly. Silence was heard for about a minute until gunfire started again. It was interrupted by the sounds of breaking bones. As the gunfire and screams got louder footsteps started to draw closer to the door. Everyone held their breaths.

The silence in the room was broken when a guard ran into the room, panic written on his face. He was muttering something about a demon coming to kill him and everyone in the town. He tripped over and landed with a thud, his rifle clattering to the ground.

Walking out of the shadows was a monstrous looking creature. It was humanoid, looked androgynous but somewhat identifiably female. It had purple skin and the lower half of its face was white with no visible mouth. The whites of its green eyes were pink and the pupils were slit. The monster had purple spiky hair with a pink fringe and what looked like armour on its hands, chest and lower body, with its legs ending in white points. Stretching from its back were two black devil wings.

"What on earth is that?" Kairi asked.

"Is it a Heartless?" Lea suggested.

The creature turned to them as it pierced the guard's throat with its 'foot'. It had an evil glint in its eyes. Kaede walked up to the bars.

"Hello Onee-chan," she said sweetly.

"Hello, Kaede," the demon replied with a cocky, malicious yet slightly innocent female voice. "I see you and your friends are stuck..." the demon chuckled a little bit. "What a shame we had our fight last week."

Kaede turned to the others, who were at the other side of the cell looking apprehensive of the monster on the other side of the bars.

"Guys, this is Yuki," she said before turning back to the demon. "Maybe you should use your human form."

Yuki rolled her eyes and surrounded herself with purple crystals. When the crystal subsided Yuki looked like Kaede's twin, albeit with green eyes, purple spiky hair with a pink fringe and two small devil wings on her back. She wore a tank top and black jeans. All in all she looked deceptively cute

She smiled evilly at the Keyblade wielders.

"Yuki, I want you to meet, Sora, Kairi, Lea and Kara," she said as she pointed to them individually.

"Who is she?" Sora asked finally, though a little nervous.

"I am the dark part of Kaede's heart," Yuki replied.

"Like...Sephiroth?"

Yuki tilted her head to the side, "Who?"

"Never mind. How did this happen?"

"Okasan split us from each other because she was giving me trouble," Kaede explained casually. "We fought and afterwards she promised to leave me alone after I won. We have rematches every two months."

"And if she loses her body becomes _my_ body," Yuki finished with a devilish chuckle. "Until then I help with problems as if I were her sister."

Kara stood up hurriedly and walked to the bars, pushing Kaede out of the way.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he yawned. "Can you let us out?"

"If you refer to me as Yuki-sama."

Kara looked at Kaede as if to say 'WTH?'. Kaede shrugged. He looked back at Yuki.

"Fine, fine...Can you let us out, Yuki-sama?"

Yuki's mouth curled into a smile. She pointed at the machines generate the bars, her fingers glowing with darkness. The sound of machinery breaking and electricity short circuiting was heard before something grew out of the generators.

"Are they...?" Lea started.

"Crystals?" Kairi finished. Kaede nodded.

The top two generators exploded causing the top bar to disappear. Yuki did the same for the other bars. The whole process took less than a minute. After it was done the group walked out of the cell. Kaede hugged Yuki.

"Don't touch me," Yuki said holding her hands in the air.

"Kaede, let go," Amaya sighed.

Kaede did so and the group exited the room. The next room was dimly lit and had several large crystal growing out of the floor. On a nearby desk were Kara's guns, coat and goggles and Kaede's chakrams. They ran up and took them, with Kaede banishing the charkrams.

"Trying summoning your Keyblades," Amaya suggested.

The trio did so and their Keyblades appeared in a flash of light. Noticeably, Yuki moved to another part of the room, away from them.

"Don't worry," Sora said. "You may be darkness, but if you don't do anything to us we won't do anything to you."

He held out his hand. Yuki warily walked up to him, took Sora's first finger with her first finger and thumb, and shook it.

"Alright then," Kara said, clapping his hands together. "We have a madman to stop! Allons-y!"

XXX

_Autumn Woods -Circular Cavern-_

The group ran into the cavern to find Cyrus basking in the Shell's light. The room was filled to the ceiling with gold and treasure. Sora looked around in shock.

"What the...?" he started.

"Look! Look at it all!" Cyrus declared, nearly bouncing like an eight-year-old on a Saturday morning. "Gold! Treasure! All for me!"

"Cyrus, it's not real!" Kara shouted at the euphoric man.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lea asked.

"The Shell was part of a spaceship, the most powerful in the sky," Kara replied. "It crashed here thousands of years ago and its power started to die. This..." He gestured to the gold "Is just an echo."

Cyrus turned round quickly, his amber eyes almost shining in the light. He was smiling crazily.

"And now to remove the last few insects ruining my plan," he breathed out in a maniacal manner.

Cyrus summoned a black katana. It had a long thin blade which emitted a red glow. In retaliation the gang summoned their weapons. Multiple flashes of light bathed the Keyblades and chakrams, though it couldn't be seen well of the glow of the gold.

"I know Master Xehanort said that we had to wait," Cyrus cackled. "But I've waited for too long!"


	13. Darting Shadows

**Author's Note: **Ok so I told a white lie, this arc will be finished next chapter. In this chapter we get a glimpse of the power of a Xehanort clone. And with me wanting this to be as thrilling possible (Sister as she reads over my shoulder while I type this: "HA!" Thanks sis -_-) listen to Mephiles Phase 1 music from the Sonic '06 soundtrack.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Autumn Woods -Circular Cavern-_

Cyrus dashed towards them, enveloped in darkness. He swung his katana at Sora who blocked with his Keyblade. While Cyrus was distracted Kaede and Yuki shot him with crystallized fire. Most missed but one got him square in the cheek. He pulled it out and turned to the girls.

"You'll have to better than that," he said smugly.

Cyrus dashed over to Yuki and stabbed her throught the stomach. She coughed up blood as he pulled the katana out. Yuki set to work on healing herself as Kaede charged at him, Chakrams bared. The two entered a ballet-like scuffle, with Cyrus winning. He knocked Kaede back with the handle of the sword using abnormal amounts of strength.

Lea took this opportunity to attack him. The man turned around on his heel and grabbed the Keyblade.

"How...?" Lea breathed.

Cyrus merely chuckled and pushed Lea back. Not fazed, Lea began to strike at Cyrus with everything he had, but every blow was blocked by Cyrus's katana, the sound of clanging metal ringing in the air.

Kara began to fire at Cyrus, figuring he can't block both attacks. But block it he did. Or rather, he absorbed the attacks with his spare hand.

"Damn it!" Kara shouted in frustration. "How do we fight a guy who's good with a sword and absorb lasers?"

"Let's try attacking together!" Sora shouted, charging at the Xehanort clone.

"Don't be too careless!" Kara barked.

"What choice do we have?" Amaya said with a shrug before launching several large bubbles at Cyrus.

Sora caught up to Cyrus and attacked from behind. Again Cyrus blocked, but this time Lea managed to attack in the arch of the block, slashing Cyrus's left side. Cyrus grabbed it in pain. He looked at his blood covered hand and stared at Sora.

"You've forced my hand this time!" he yelled.

With that he dove into Sora's shadow. Literally. Sora looked around in panic. He began shooting his shadow with Blizzara.

"Why isn't it working?!" he shouted angrily.

"Never mind that," Amaya said in a concerned voice while looking around the room. "Look!"

The team did the same. Hundreds of shadowy clones of Cyrus had appeared out of nowhere. Kara began shooting at them furiously and Amaya slashed through row after row with her water powers. Kaede and Yuki stood back to back, throwing everything they had at the clones. Lea tried killing them with Firagun and Kairi just used the plain old hack and slash tactic.

Sora on the other was jumping off of one clone to the next, striking them with his Keyblade and magic.

"Sora! It's best we don't split up!" Lea shouted. "We'll get overwhelmed!"

"Gather!" was Sora's response.

The clones near him were all drawn in by the Magnega spell and subsequently destroyed.

"Yes!" Sora said punching the air.

"It doesn't matter how many of them you defeat you know," came Cyrus's voice.

With that several hundred more filled the room. Yuki sighed with frustration. Kara and Amaya began attacking more furiously while Kaede and Kairi worked to cover each other's backs. Lea just kept doing what he was doing.

"Damn...how do I...?" Sora started.

"Sora behind you!" Kairi shouted, doing a leap that a kangaroo would be proud of over to Sora's position. She blocked the clones attack. But it flipped back and shot a beam of purple light into Kairi.

"_Kairi!_" Sora shouted, catching her as she fell.

"Man down!" Kara shouted, blasting two more clones with his guns.

For Sora, everything else was blocked out. All he could focus on was Kairi. He placed a hand on her stomach where the wound was, casting Curaga to try and stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough. All that he could think about was Kairi dying. All the anger welled up. It kept building and building until...

"You *insert swear word of choice here*!" Sora roared.

In a blinding light all the clones disappeared. Cyrus was forced out of Sora's shadow. Sora stood on the spot with glowing silver eyes. His clothes had turned gold and reddy-orange glow surrounded him. In one hand was his Kingdom Key but in the other was Oathkeeper. Kairi had disappeared. Sora glared at Cyrus.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that," Sora growled.

"Think you can best me in a sword fight?" Cyrus bellowed.

Sora lunged at Cyrus who blocked with his katana, but he couldn't block the Oathkeeper coming for his head. Cyrus sank into the ground and reappeared behind the others. His katana glowed a dark red.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Cyrus hissed as he swung his blade sideways.

A blast of black/red energy swiftly left the katana, and travelled towards the others (who barely dodged it) at a frightening speed. When it came near Sora he batted it away with his Kingdom Key.

"Wha...?" Cyrus whispered with shock.

"My turn," Sora said darkly, lifting up Oathkeeper. "Flarega."

A beam of white light shot out of Oathkeeper towards Cyrus. Cyrus blocked with his sword, but the light proved too much and shattered the blade, then pierced Cyrus's heart. Cyrus collapsed to the ground.

"But...I still have my heart's desire...!" he coughed weakly.

Suddenly the room began to shake. Rocks from the cavern roof started to fall down, the fight having proved too much for the cave to handle.

"We have to get out of here!" Amaya shouted.

"No duh!" Lea said sarcastically.

The group ran out of here as the gold blinked out of existence, much to Cyrus's dismay.

"No!" he shouted to them. "You can't just leave me! Wait...!"

_Autumn Woods -Cave Entrance-_

The group dashed out of the cave followed by a cloud of dust as the last rocks crashed down, blocking the entrance. The group looked around at each other and started laughing.

"Wow that was close!" Lea laughed.

"Tell me about it," Kara laughed back.

While they were laughing, Sora reverted back to his normal self. Kairi appeared next him.

"Guys!" he shouted, interrupting their laughter. "Kairi needs help!"

The group stopped hurriedly and ran over to Kairi. Kara pressed his fingers on her wrist.

"There's still a heartbeat," he said before turning solemn. "But none of what I have can heal her. We can't travel because my teleport bracelet is broken..."

"And we can't go back to Bloomingdale because we just killed the mayor..." Amaya said.

"Exactly."

Sora looked at Kairi, before having an idea.

"The gummi ship isn't that far from here," he said. "Kara and Amaya, can you give her something to help her?"

"Well that wound doesn't seem life threatening at the moment, but we don't know how long it'll stay like that," Amaya said.

"Here," Kara said handing Sora a vial. "It'll put into a hibernation state, slowing down her life processes, which should stop the bleeding."

"Thanks," Sora said.

He took the vial and poured its contents down her throat. She moaned a little before her breathing slowed to a near stop. Sora began to panic.

"Calm down, Sora," Kara reassured. "Like I said, it slows down her life processes, she's still alive. That stuff is designed to buy time in medical procedures."

"Right," Sora said. "Lea can you carry her?"

"Yeah," he said picking her up. "Where are we going?"

"Hollow Bastion," Sora replied.


	14. Return to Hollow Bastion

**Author's Note:** And so the third arc has come to a close. As promised they have gone to Hollow Bastion or Radiant Garden or whatever. I'll give you a hint, this won't be the last time you see Kaede, Amaya, Kara and Yuki :P _  
_

Interesting fact here, Kaede is based of my sister Katie. And yes. Yes she is.

So, enough rambling, and onwards!

* * *

_Hollow Bastion -Marketplace-_

The group walked out into the market square. Kara, Kaede, Yuki and Amaya looked around at the quaint, medieval shops. Sora ignored the shops and carried on towards Merlin's house with Lea following him carrying an unconscious Kairi. Sora kept looking back at Kairi every now and again.

"Relax, Sora. She's not going anywhere," Lea said, though he understood why Sora kept on doing it.

Lea knew all about when Sora first lost Kairi and how he had journeyed to his former home world to save her. He also knew that Sora had turned himself into a Heartless to save her. And now it looked like Sora was about to lose her again.

Sora couldn't help but worry. Kairi meant the world to him and the thought of losing her again, for good this time, was too much to bear. Plus, it was kind of his fault that she had gotten hit in the first place.

Why had he just stood there with his mouth open?

"Sora," Kara said as he moved next to him. "I know that it's worrying you, but you can't blame yourself."

"And what would you know?" Sora snapped. "It's not like you have anything special in your life!"

Kara looked at him.

"I did once," he said after a long pause.

With that he walked off aimlessly, leaving Sora confused. Sora waited until the three girls had caught up with him.

"Hey, umm...what's Kara's past like?" Sora asked cautiously.

"How should I know that?" Yuki snapped, flapping her small wings in anger.

"Yuki, shush," Kaede ordered, to which Yuki begrudgingly obliged.

"I think it's best if he tells you that," Amaya said, doing her best to avoid the subject.

"Oh..." was all Sora could say.

The group made their way to the Borough, walking through the narrow, cobbled, grey stone streets. Kaede looked up at the castle and could barely contain her awe. She pulled out her phone and took a picture of it. Amaya had to push her along to make sure she still went with the group. When they arrived at Merlin's house, they found the door was already open. Sora walked in uneasily.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" he shouted in the empty house.

The group walked in to the house. There were books scattered all over the floor and Cid's computer looked like it had seen better days. Lea rested Kairi on the ripped sofa. He turned to Sora.

"Looks like there's been a fight of some kind," he said.

"Who lives here?" Amaya asked.

"The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee," Sora replied. "But it's not like them to have no one home..."

Just as they pondered on what to do next, they heard someone burst through the door.

"Yuffie!" Sora exclaimed.

The girl looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of him.

"Long time...no see..." she panted resting against the wall. "Can't talk...Heartless..."

The group took up their battle stances at the mention of Heartless.

"Where?" Lea asked.

"The central square..." Yuffie replied.

Kara and Kaede ran outside followed be Lea. Sora ran to Yuffie and put his hands on her shoulders.

"We'll deal with the Heartless, you stay and look after Kairi, she's in a bad shape," he told her.

Yuffie looked over to the sofa then back at Sora.

"What happened?" she asked getting her breath back.

"I'll stay," Amaya said, sitting down next to Kairi. "I'll explain everything to...Yuffie, is it?"

Sora nodded in understanding and headed off to the others. He caught up to them not too far past the wall to the restoration site. It was then that they heard the Restoration Committees battle cries. Sora powered ahead with his Keyblade drawn.

"Sora! I know you want Kairi to get help as soon as possible but slow down!" Kara shouted.

With that a Morning Star Heartless dropped from above them, followed by several Soldiers. Kaede was the first to strike, destroying the Soldiers with a quick flick of her chakrams. Yuki aimed herself at the Morning Star alongside Kara. In a flurry of laser blasts and crystal it was swiftly taken care of.

"They'll be more along the way," Lea warned. "Let's go."

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Central Square-_

When the gang got there they found Leon, Aerith and Tifa fighting off a large group of Heartless. Sora and Lea joined the fray while Kara, Kaede and Yuki split up to cover the entrances.

"Sora?" Leon said when he noticed before readying his gunblade again. "Looks like things are about to get interesting."

Before long the group had gotten rid of all the Heartless. Lea called to the three at the exits.

"How's the situation?"

"It's all clear here!" Kaede shouted with a wave.

"No more targets," Kara said, disappointed.

"Heh, I wasn't troubled in the slightest. They must've been scared off," Yuki said arrogantly.

Leon walked to Sora, who was still looking around vigilantly for any Heartless. He jumped when Leon tapped him on the shoulder.

"You're a little jumpy today," Leon noticed. "What's wrong?"

Sora's thoughts went back to Kairi in Merlin's House. Lea filled Leon, Aerith and Tifa in about their adventure in Autumn Woods and how Kairi got injured. With that they made their way back to Merlin's House and found Amaya and Yuffie kneeling on the floor next to Kairi. She had a wet flannel on her forehead. Amaya was trying to treat the wound on Kairi's stomach.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked running over to Kairi.

"That pill is wearing off," she said not looking at him. "She needs powerful healing magic and fast."

"Let me look at it," Aerith said as she moved over to Kairi. "This looks treatable, but it will take me a while." She turned to Amaya. "Your magic seemed to be doing well on its own. Would you mind helping me? My name's Aerith."

"Not at all," Amaya replied. "I'm called Amaya."

Aerith turned to Leon, "would you mind making the others some food?"

Leon nodded and beckoned the group into the kitchen. He and Tifa began to finish some stew that had been on the go before they got attacked by the Heartless. Lea helped himself to some orange juice while Kaede and Yuki stood there nervously. Kara helped Tifa with the stew.

"So, Sora," Leon started as he added carrots to the bubbling pot "What's going on?"

"Well...it's a long story. Basically Riku and I took the Mark of Mastery exam to become Keyblade Masters in the Realm of Sleep. We managed to get to the Organization's home world where we ran into the new Organization XIII, including a revived Xemnas and Ansem.

"Master Xehanort was revived and said he wanted to recreate this blade by making himself and his twelve Xehanort clones fight seven Keyblade wielders of light. Then they disappeared.

"We ran into one of those clones in Autumn Woods, where we met Kara, Kaede, Yuki and Amaya, and we fought and killed the clone. But Kairi...she got hit and..."

Sora felt tears well up. Kaede took his hand reassuringly.

"It's ok, Okasan is Bloomingdale's best medic," she said.

"And Aerith, well, you know how good Aerith is," Tifa said from the cooker.

Sora nodded, and then thought for a minute.

"How long will they be?" he asked Leon.

"Not too long," Leon answered. "From the looks of things Amaya had been treating the flesh wound while we were out. That will make things easier for Aerith."

"Hey!" Amaya called from the living room. "Kairi's waking up!"

Quicker than anyone could say Destiny Islands, Sora had dashed into the room and was kneeling beside Kairi.

"So...ra?" Kairi said weakly.

"I'm here," he smiled.

"What...happened?"

"One of those Cyrus clones got you..." he explained sadly. "It's my fault, I'm sorry. I should've looked out for you."

"It's alright," Kairi smiled as she sat up. "Don't blame yourself."

"Just kiss already!" Lea called from the kitchen doorway, making Kara laugh.

'_Working on it!_' Sora thought to himself.

Kairi laughed at that remark. Aerith smiled warmly.

"I'm glad it all worked out," she said.

"Umm...Miss?" Kaede asked Aerith nervously. "Could you get rid of that cut on Okasan's...I mean Amaya-chan's face? She was slashed by a Heartless and..."

"I was getting to that," Aerith chuckled.

She beckoned for Amaya to come closer then waved a glowing hand across the cut. The cut glowed and a small purple flame burned around the edge, before being extinguished by a warm, yellow glow. The cut closed itself leaving no scar.

Kaede's eyes lit up as she glomped Amaya.

"Can't...breathe..." Amaya choked out.

"Sorry!" Kaede said quickly, loosening her grip.

"So what now?" Kara asked. "We left Amaya's star shard back at Bloomingdale so we can't leave." He sighed a little. "Looks like I'm out of work."

"You could always help us?" Tifa suggested. "The Heartless drop munny so it's not like you'll be poor, especially with the amount of Heartless here. I'm sure Merlin could add a few rooms to this house."

"Can we?" Kaede asked bouncing up and down on the spot.

Kara thought for a little.

"Sure, why not? It's about time I settled down anyway."

"Yaaay!" Kaede shouted.

"Is she ok?" Yuffie asked.

"She's just immature," Yuki said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh that's just what boring people say to describe fun people," Kaede smiled, wiggling her finger in Yuki's face.

"Right well, if that's the plan for you guys, we should probably go," Sora said.

"Oh, stay for dinner," Aerith said. "It would be nice to hear about what you guys did after that incident with the MCP."

Sora looked at Lea and Kairi, who both nodded.

"I guess we could stay for a bit," he smiled.

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Borough-_

"Well, thanks for the stew," Lea said as the Keyblade wielders stepped outside.

"Say hi to Merlin, Cloud and Cid for me," Sora said with a wave.

"See you soon," Kairi smiled.

"Just be careful out there," Leon said as he leaned on the door frame. "If you need anything just call us."

"We will," Sora replied. "Oh by the way, what's with all the Heartless running about?"

Leon looked up at the sky and sighed.

"We don't know," he said, not taking his eyes away from the clouds. "It was quiet for a year and then a few months ago they started to show up again."

"Oh," Sora said disappointedly. "Well when we have time, we'll come back and find the solution."

"That's appreciated," Leon smiled (well, his version of a smile).

The two groups bid farewell to each other and the Keyblade wielders headed to the gummi ship. But the failed to notice the man clad in a black coat standing on a nearby wall.


	15. Brownie's Honour

**Author's Note:** Yeah, it's a little early. Aren't I good to you. Unfortunately I have to say that college starts on Monday which means I won't have as much time to write as I usually do. So sorry if I drop off the face of the earth, I will try to update as much as I can.

In other news, I've been watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. It's a great anime involving time loops and demons and curses and the odd mental breakdown where one of the main characters kills their friends. Seriously, watch it. It makes for good viewing.

And on that happy note, on to this rather light hearted chapter :)

* * *

_Neverland –Mermaid Lagoon-_

Shade picked herself out of the water, rubbing her head. She looked around for her teacher. He had landed on the ground to her left. He groaned as he sat up and looked around for Shade. When Riku spotted her standing in the lagoon, clothes damp, hair dripping, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut. Up," Shade said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry," Riku said as he helped her out of the water. "Hold on." He summoned a fireball and moved it around Shade's body, drying her out. He smiled. "There, all better."

"Where are we?" Shade asked.

"I believe that we're in Neverland," was the reply.

Riku turned and walked off in an aimless direction, followed by Shade. They spent a good hour wandering around the island, stopping occasionally to briefly spar (which almost always ended in Shade's defeat) before continuing the walk about. While on the tour, Riku decided to teach Shade the sliding dash technique.

"Watch," Riku ordered.

Riku's Keyblade glowed. He charged forward towards a nearby tree at an incredible speed, slashing the tree completely in half. It fell and landed with a rustle and a thud. Shade stared in awe.

"What _was _that?" Shade asked.

"Sliding dash," Riku said simply. "It's good for closing in on enemies. Just point your Keyblade at the target, charge energy into it and step forward. Your Keyblade will carry you forward. All you have to do is direct it and slash when you get close to the Heartless or whatever it is that's attacking you."

Shade did as she was told. Her Keyblade glowed a bright orange colour. She stepped forward...and promptly fell over, faceplanting the dirt. She got to her knees and looked at Riku.

"What happened?" was all she could say.

"You put in too little energy," he replied. "Too little and you trip over. Too much and you fly forward uncontrollably...and then trip over."

Shade muttered something about telling her beforehand and got up. She tried again, putting more energy, but not lots, into her Keyblade. She stepped forward and dashed towards a nearby tree. She slashed the tree as she passed, cutting it in half.

Shade could barely contain her excitement. She jumped up and down squealing like a little girl.

Riku watched her with a small smile. She was a quick learner which was good because time was short. But his thoughts drifted back to the story the Twilight Town gang had told him. Somehow she knows...no...she knew Xehanort. Could it be Master Xehanort? Or the Xehanort that was Ansem's apprentice? And if that was true, then what would happen if they encountered a member of Organization XIII? Or Xehanort himself? And what was with that aura they mentioned?

"Riku!" Shade shouted, making Riku fall backwards. She turned around and smiled before teasing. "You really shouldn't let down your guard around a girl. I bet you don't have much experience with them."

She laughed an over-exaggerated evil laugh (think Yamada from B Gata H Kei).

"Hey! I have had a girlfriend!" Riku protested as he stood up.

"Oh yeah? Name one," she said with a cruel smile. Riku faltered. Shade's expression changed to one of disbelief. "Oh my god, you haven't, have you?"

Shade burst in to hysterics. Riku blushed a little, yet still managing to look cool at the same time. He slapped Shade lightly across the head. She stopped laughing.

"Hey! What was that for?" she said with innocent eyes.

Riku stared into her big, bright eyes midnight blue and amber eyes. Kairi used to pull the same trick on him when they were younger. It used to work.

But not now, obviously.

Still the longer he stared at them, the weaker he got.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he said defeated.

"You really have got a lot to learn about girls," she said nudging him in the stomach. "Don't worry I'll teach you how to behave around them and how to treat them properly."

"I know how to look after a girl! I'm not dumb!"

"Buuuut, if I teach you then you'll be the best boyfriend ever!" she saluted. "Brownie's honour."

Riku chuckled and walked off again. Shade looked at him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him that she liked.

"_He's sweet,_" she thought to herself.

XXX

_Neverland -Cove-_

Shade and Riku walked into the rocky cove, their feet sloshing in the water. The cove was a far cry from the lagoon they had in. It was dark, grey and depressing. When they turned the corner they could see they open water on the other side of the rocks. Out in the water was huge skull shape rock that stuck out like a sore thumb. Closer to them, at the end of the cove, were some people; one wearing green, two dressed in animal-like jumpsuits and a little pixie.

Shade started to walk towards, but noticed that Riku had stayed back. She turned to him.

"Are you just going to stay there?" she asked with a laugh.

"The guy in green and I won't get along," he mumbled.

Shade sighed.

"Fine. I'll go ahead and say hi then, shall I?"

"Ah, wait...!" Riku began.

Shade had already run towards the others, walking awkwardly through the water separating the groups. Riku tried to stop her but stayed at the water's edge. Man, this would take some explaining.

Meanwhile Shade had made her way to the boys. She brushed herself off and walked up to them.

"What are you doing?" she asked in her sweetest voice.

The two boys in the jumpsuits immediately jumped around.

"Hey! Who are you?" said the boy in the fox outfit.

The other, chubbier boy in the bear outfit, paused and looked at her.

"Hi," he said with a dreamy look.

The last boy in green and the pixie turned their heads, with the pixie immediately flying over to Shade with an angry look. The boy in green flew over to the pixie and grabbed her.

"Tink, that's no way to behave," he said sternly.

Shade, a little flustered, quickly began a conversation.

"Who are you?" she asked sweetly.

The boy in the bear outfit sighed a little when she spoke. The boy in green shook her hand.

"I'm Peter Pan," he said with a smile. "This is Tinkerbell" He pointed to the pixie. "And these are Slightly" He pointed to the fox boy. "And Cubby" He pointed to the other.

"Nice to meet you Peter, I'm Shade," she smiled. "Umm...I have a friend over there...he's a little nervous about meeting you guys."

Peter looked across the water. He frowned.

"He looks familiar," he mused.

Tinkerbell began ringing violently. Peter Pan's eyes widened.

"You're right, Tink!" he exclaimed. "He _is_ the guy who kidnapped Wendy!"

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell flew over to Riku. Riku stood there with no particular look on his face.

"Why are you here?" Peter said with a serious tone. "Are you after Wendy again?"

"No, I'm not," Riku said. "I'm here training Shade to be a Keyblade Master, that's all. I know I did wrong when I worked with Hook, but I'm clean now."

Peter paused for a moment, thinking. Tinkerbell folded her arms with a smug look on her face.

"Ok, apology accepted," he said, causing Tinkerbell to stop hovering and fall slightly. "Oh, come on Tink, I trust him." She rang haughtily. "Don't be like that!" Tinkerbell huffed a little. "Come on, Tink, you could just trust them a little bit?"

Tinkerbell looked at Riku and stuck her tongue out.

"I think that's the most trust I'll get," Riku said dryly.

With that the three walked and flew back to Shade and the others.

"So what are you doing?" she asked, still using her sweet voice.

"We're spying on Captain Hook," Cubby said automatically pointing at the sea, making Slightly elbow him in the stomach.

Shade and Riku looked. Sure enough there was a pirate ship near the large skull shaped rock.

"It's ok, Slightly, they can help us," Peter Pan reassured.

"We can?" Riku and Shade said together.

Peter nodded; "Just fly over there and trick that old codfish into landing here."

"Fly?" Shade asked sceptically.

"Oh, that's right! Tink, can you sprinkle them with pixie dust?"

Tinkerbell flew over Shade and Riku and begrudgingly shook herself. Sparkling gold dust fell on them.

"I don't feel any different..." Shade said disappointedly.

"You need to think happy thoughts," Peter laughed.

Riku and Shade closed their eyes, filling their minds with the happiest thoughts they could think of. Slowly, they began to lift off the ground. Shade couldn't help but smile. Even Riku felt a smile curve on his face.

Only slightly.

When they landed, Peter huddled them together.

"Ok, here's the plan," he said.


	16. The Darkness Flares

**Author's** **Note:** Yeah, sorry that it took this long to update. Had college and writer's block and college so gomenasai! (please forgive me D':). Anyway this chapter was originally going to be longer but then I would have had no cliffhanger to end on. In this we see what Shade thinks of Riku, followed by some complications regarding her alter.

Happy readings :3

* * *

_Neverland -Open Water-_

Shade and Riku flew across the sea to the pirate ship. Shade was excited. She had never been on a boat before, let alone a _real_ pirate ship. Not much happened in Twilight Town now that she thought about it. Sure, her friends were there, but there was only so much enjoyment trips to the beach could provide. It was just the same monotonous routine. Day after day. All month.

Out with Riku, she had seen three new worlds. And sure the Heartless were a problem, but it wasn't like she was completely helpless. Admittedly, the limited supply of potions was an issue, but hey, Riku knew Cure magic, which he promised to teach her, or rather have someone teach her.

Riku...

He was unusual to say the least. He was tough and cold, but only when he had to be, like facing off against Heartless. And when he was teaching her he was calm and supportive. When he wasn't doing either he could have a laugh with her. It was like he was three different people. But she could tell he had had a hard time. She would ask him about it later.

And what about her? Would her memories return if she stayed with him? Did she want them back?

Shade shook her head. Of course she did, what a stupid question! But there must be a reason why she forgot them...

All this thinking made Shade's head hurt.

"Hey, stay focused," Riku said sternly.

She smiled at him.

"No problem," she said with a thumbs up. "Just a headache."

The duo got closer to the ship, flying upwards to avoid getting seen. Riku looked down at the deck. No one was there. He quietly beckoned Shade down with him. They landed softly on the deck, the sound of the water gently lapping against the hull and the ship creaking in the breeze.

"Where do you think they are?" Shade whispered.

"Hopefully, not on board," Riku said quietly, looking around.

Riku walked to the side of the ship. There were ladders down the sides all the way to the bottom. Riku gave Shade a thumbs up. She breathed a sigh of relief. Riku turned to her.

"Let's look for that map," he said.

XXX

_Neverland -Cove- 20 minutes earlier_

"Hook has been searching for something across the island," Peter Pan said quickly and quietly.

"It's probably something valuable or he wouldn't look for it."

Shade looked confused.

"Why are you bothered?" she asked.

"Because we deserve that treasure!" Cubby exclaimed. "It's our island."

"Plus it just annoys him," Peter said with a smile.

"And why do we have to go?" Shade said, folding her arms.

"Because I owe him," Riku replied already hovering. "Come on, let's go."

With that he flew off in the direction of the ship. Shade sighed and began to hover unsteadily. After getting her balance she followed after him.

XXX

_Neverland -Hook's Ship, Captain's Room-_

Riku pulled out all the drawers, dropping them as his search led nowhere. He hated Hook. His stench of darkness was different from the others that were part of Maleficent's group. Instead of being malicious like Clayton, Oogie Boogie, Jafar etc, Hook's smelled greedy. He had heard from his time trailing Roxas that the pirate's greed had manifested as a giant Heartless once.

But this was ridiculous!

The map was nowhere to be found!

And with Shade acting as look out he couldn't risk going deeper into the ship. Captain Hook and his crew would be back at any point. Where was that map? Riku punched the wall in frustration. He was only doing this because he owed Peter Pan for kidnapping Wendy.

"Riku! You'd better come out here!" Shade called from outside.

Riku dashed out of the cabin to find Shade fighting against several Pirate Heartless. She seemed to be holding her own, but it was the Battleships that worried him. One of them aimed a cannon at Shade. He ran over to her and threw up a Dark Shield to block it. He then summoned his Way to the Dawn and began to dispatch the Pirates.

"Where'd they come from?" Shade asked him, narrowly avoiding a Pirate's sword. "Damn, these guys are slippery!"

"It's probably because Hook is on his way back!"

No matter how many they took out, more kept spawning, eventually leading to Air Pirates and Battleships. Immediately the Battleships set their sights on Shade and Riku, firing at them and trying to ram them off the deck. Shade tried her new technique and successfully managed to take out several Pirates with it, while Riku shot around the deck with Dark Aura. That was until...

"Smee!" came a shrill voice from the side of the deck. "What on earth is going on here?"

Shade, Riku and the Heartless paused to look at who was there. Shade didn't know who the man was. None of his features seemed familiar, not his moustache, or curly black hair. Then she noticed the hook on his left hand.

"You must be Captain Hook," she stated.

"Indeed," Hook confirmed. "And who might you be brat?"

"She's called Shade," Riku said. "And she's with me, Hook."

"Argh! It's you!" Hook panicked. "You're not with Maleficent still are you?"

Shade looked at Riku, confused.

What did Maleficent have to with this?

Riku on the other hand thought for a moment. Hook hadn't had any contact with the fairy since the incident two and a half years ago. So he didn't know what happened after Sora had beaten him.

Hmmm...

"Yeah, I am," he replied to which Shade just looked more confused. "I'm here because she wants to regroup us. Starting with you."

"And why would I do that?" Hook asked haughtily.

"You don't have a choice," Riku said calmly, flaring his darkness in the process.

Suddenly Shade felt a sharp sting in her heart. She clutched her chest tightly, breathing distinctly.

"I would rather we didn't resort to violence..." Hook said, his voice fading.

The voices and sounds of the sea began to echo in her ears, creating a conchofany of white noise. Shade's vision blurred. There was only one word in mind. It was faint at first, but it got louder.

And louder.

XXX

_Neverland -Hook's Ship, Deck-_

"Xe...no...t," Shade said quietly.

Riku turned around to look at her. She was clutching her head in one hand and her chest in the other. He ran up to her and put his arm around her.

"Xe...ha...nort…" she said again, louder and more clear.

'Xehanort!?' Riku thought.

There was something else, something off…Like a huge wave of darkness had hit the ship. He made his darkness die down. Riku began to feel something else. He sensed multiple Heartless appearing throughout the ship.

"Xehanort…"

"What is it? What's going on?" Hook asked in an arrogant voice to which Riku shot him a glare, then turned back to Shade.

Her arms hung limply by her side.

"Shade?" Riku asked hesitantly.

She turned her head sharply to look at him. Her eyes seemed different. Instead of bright and innocent they seemed…dark and psychotic. Then she spoke.

"You…smell like him" her voice sent shivers down Riku's spine. "Like you're connected somehow…that's where your darkness comes from…Xehanort…I must kill him…He must pay…And since you're connected to him…I'll start with you."

A smile curled onto her face. But it wasn't a warm smile. It was twisted and demonic. A purpley aura glowed around her. She drew her Keyblade.

And lunged.


	17. The Alter

**Author's Note:** Yeah, really short chapter so...yeah.

The problem with this arc? Trying to keep Shade's past a secret while trying to write her alter's parts

Enjoy

* * *

_Realm of Darkness -Dark Meridian-_

Aqua's ears perked up.

"What is it?" the cloaked man asked.

"There's a huge darkness spike in the Realm of Light," she replied, thinking.

"_Don't worry about it,_" stated the Voice calmly.

XXX

_Neverland -Hook's Ship, Deck-_

Riku blocked the attack from his apprentice. But this wasn't the Shade he knew. He could smell her. She reeked of darkness. He countered it and blasted her with a Firaga. Riku stood there as Shade breathed heavily, the purple aura flaring around her.

'_This is...just like what Hayner described!_' Riku thought.

Riku looked at Hook, who was cowering at the edge of the ship. He sighed.

"You know, for a pirate you're not very, what's the word, good?" Riku told Hook dryly.

Hook whimpered a little before straightening up. He drew his sword and took a stance next to Riku. Hook breathed out a heavy sigh before going for the girl. He was knocked back a large tendril of darkness. Riku ran up to him and helped the captain up.

"I can do it myself!" Hook shouted before pointing at Shade with his hook. "She's _your_ apprentice, calm her down."

Riku sighed and took a step closer to his psychotic apprentice. He banished his Keyblade. Shade looked at him with mad eyes before flaring her darkness. Riku stood his ground and did the same.

"Is it because of my darkness?" he asked. "Is that why you're like this?"

"What would you know?" Shade spat with disgust. "You have no idea what I've been through!"

"I'm guessing your memories have come back?"

"They never went missing," she said with a chuckle.

The chuckle turned into maniacal laughter, which stopped as abruptly as it started. Riku took another step. Shade hissed before continuing.

"The Shade you know and me are two completely different people. One is blissfully unaware of what Xehanort did, and then there's me..."

"What is it?" Riku asked calmly. "Tell me, what did he do to you?"

"Like you'd care! You smell of him, of that 'Ansem' one!"

She began muttering to herself frantically.

"It's ok, you're scared, I get that," Riku said softly. "And you don't have to worry; I'm not with Xehanort or Ansem anymore"

Shade calmed down and looked at him with wide eyes. She took a few steps before falling. Riku ran up to and helped her up.

"M-master?" she stuttered innocently.

"Yeah?"

Her mouth curled into a smile.

"Bad luck."

With that she stabbed him in the leg with her Keyblade. Riku fell to the floor, trying to cast Curaga. But it didn't work. The pain didn't go away. He looked at her, questioning this Shade's behaviour.

What did Xehanort do to her that made her this way?

"Wondering why you're not healing?" she asked sweetly before coming down to his level. "Black poison. My own brand. I can seep it on to my Keyblade. And..." Hook lunged at her. She blocked with a Dark Shield. "It's a bitch to get rid of" She smiled cruelly again and stood up. "You won't die straight away. You'll have a few days tops."

She turned and started to hover.

"Where are you going?!" Riku shouted angrily.

"To get my revenge," Shade said emotionlessly before flying off.

Riku watched as she disappeared into the horizon. He punched the floor angrily.

"Damn it!" he screamed.

"Hey!" someone called from above.

Riku looked up to see Peter Pan and Tinkerbell circling Hook's ship.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Riku tried to stand up, only to fall again. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell flew down to help him, ignoring a fuming Captain Hook.

"Ouch, who did that?" Peter asked when he saw the wound.

"Shade," Riku replied "She went crazy and attacked us before flying off somewhere,"

Peter beckoned Tinkerbell to heal the wound. When it was done Riku stood up and flexed his leg.

"All better," Peter Pan smiled.

Riku smiled back.

"Right, now how do we find Shade?" he asked.

"I'm sure I know where she'll be," Peter replied, starting to hover. "Come on!"

Riku started to fly off too, leaving a bewildered Captain Hook none the wiser.

"Smee?"

"Yes, Cap'n?"

"I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I need a lie down."


	18. With Me

**Author's Note: **Holiday times! And I think I kept to my schedule too :D So, I think you could probably guess what's going to happen now. Yeah it's a fight. And you get to find out about Shade's past. A little bit.

Music for this is the main theme of Higurashi and With Me by All Ends for the battle.

All in all, not bad *insert meme of Obama's face here*

* * *

_London _

Riku, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell sped through the cold night sky. Riku's mind had been racing. What was he going to do with Shade? How could he make her see sense? What had Xehanort done to her?

And more importantly- could he quell her anger?

He looked at Peter.

"Do you really think she'll be here?" he asked.

"No doubt about it," he replied. "This is the closest place to Neverland, she'll be here."

Riku looked ahead. They were coming up to the clock tower. As they got closer there was a huge stench of darkness. Riku almost gagged.

"You okay?" Peter Pan asked, concerned.

"Yeah...just the...darkness," he coughed.

This darkness smelled like Shade. She was close.

"Wait, hold on!" Riku said slowing to a stop.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell did the same. Riku beckoned them to follow him slowly. As they flew cautiously around the clocktower the smell got stronger. It was an odd smell however. It smelled confused and angry, like a churning void of chaos.

Riku looked around one more corner. Sat at the other end of the platform was Shade, looking out over the cityscape. Riku gestured for Peter and Tinkerbell to stay out of sight while he landed softly on the platform. He walked silently up to her.

"You can stop there," she said emotionlessly. Riku halted, a little stunned. Shade turned her head a little. "What? You thought you could sneak up on me? I sensed you ages ago" She turned back to the city. "How's your leg?"

Riku looked at her, uneasy of what to say.

"It's...fine," was all he could manage.

"It was that pixie that healed you, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"Look at this city," Shade said before sighing. "It's amazing what humans can do isn't it? The can take a few miles of land and turn it into this. But in that sense, they're just like us. We can only destroy. We have mighty, colossal powers, yet all we can do is kill and destroy."

"Wait, what do you mean 'us'?" Riku asked.

Shade ignored his question and stood up.

"Do you know what it's like to have a heart like mine? I suppose you do, you smell of Ansem. A heart of darkness. With nothing but rage to keep you going?" A tear fell down a cheek. "He taught me and my brother everything we know, but I was failure in his eyes. Not enough darkness, you see. So he tortured me as if it were my fault." More tears fell. "So I have nothing left. I can't go back to my home, not after what I did. All I can do is get even at him. I'll do anything it takes. Even if it means killing you..." She turned to him. "Master Riku"

"What did he do to you?" Riku asked.

Shade wiped her eyes.

"That," she said. "Is for another time."

Without warning she blasted Riku with a Dark Firaga sending him flying off the side of the tower.

Riku managed to fly upwards however, avoiding a fatal fall. He beckoned to Peter Pan and Tinkerbell as Shade flew out of the clocktower. Immediately she set on Riku with her Keyblade. Riku blocked every blow with his own Keyblade as Peter came up behind her with his dagger, stabbing her in the lower back.

"You little..." Shade started before being slashed across the chest by Riku.

Angered, she sped upwards and then unleashed a Dark Volley shotlock. Riku blocked with his dark shield while Peter Pan and Tinkerbell flew around the barrage. He sent up a Triple Firaga, which hit Shade square in the face, burning her.

"Esuna," she growled, healing her burn, before charging at Riku again.

The two entered a sword fight, parrying, blocking and countering each other's attacks.

"Damn it, Shade!" Riku yelled. "Snap out of it!"

"You don't understand anything!" Shade yelled back. "I need to pay him back! No matter what the cost!"

Away from the duel Peter Pan watched on.

"She's only going for Riku..." he realised "Tink, focus on healing Riku! We coud be in trouble if he doesn't survive."

Tinkerbell nodded and flew over to Riku, throwing up Cures for him as fast and Shade hit him.

XXX

_London -Big Ben-_

Shade parried another attack and sliced Riku's chest again, just as that pixie had showed up. She couldn't do anything about the pixie, it was too agile to hit. All she could focus on was Riku.

She felt sorry for him. He hadn't done anything wrong. And he was probably right about not being with Xehanort too, since he hadn't sold her other alter to him. Shade's alter cared a lot a lot for him and it was obvious he felt the same.

But he would slow her down. Now that she was back in control of her body she could focus on getting to Xehanort and showing him that he should never have let her go.

_Never!_

XXX

_London -Big Ben-_

Damn she was fast! Almost unhumanly so.

Riku silently thanked Tinkerbell for being there; he would have long since lost if she hadn't been healing him.

He blocked another attack and countered with an uppercut. Shade grabbed her face in pain with one hand. This was his chance!

He surrounded himself in darkness and performed a Dark Aura. He dashed through the sky, hit Shade with every one of them. Shade growled and roared demonically. Large black tendrils shot out of her, all aiming for Riku.

Riku flew through all of them, but one of them caught his foot. It pulled him to his deranged apprentice. It wrapped around him so he couldn't escape.

"What are you?" he asked. "No human can have..." Then it hit him. "No...you can't be...it's not possible. You're a Heart...no there's more too it...you're...half Heartless!"

"Now do you understand why I need my revenge?" she asked him in a serious, but breaking voice. "He made me what I am. He took my heart and poured darkness inside it for the production of the blade. But he could never get enough n. Do have any idea how painful that was?"

She began to sob.

Riku managed to wiggle an arm out of the tendril.

"Then let me help you, me and my friends," he said softly, holding his hand out.

Shade stopped sobbing and thought for a moment.

"You don't get it do you?" she said through tears and gritted teeth. "Do you have any idea what goes on in here?" She tapped her head with a finger. "That single kettle drum. It plagues us. The other me won't tell you but it's there. Banging. Inside my head. Boom! Boom! Boom! _He _put it there, as an eternal torture. It's connected to him and if I kill him...it'll stop."

Riku's face fell. That explained why her darkness was so off. And the kind Shade heard it too, how could he have missed that?

"Let me help you," he said again.

"I need to do this on my own!" she shouted.

She prepared to lunged and- SHINK!

Peter Pan stabbed her in the neck, just below the jugular.

The darkness around Riku and Shade disappeared. Shade's eyes rolled back into her sockets. She began to plummet to the city below. Riku shot after her and caught her. Peter Pan flew to him.

"That was unnecessary!" he shouted.

"If I didn't do that she'd have killed you!" Peter protested.

"I know..." Riku said a little saddened. He checked her wound. It wasn't bleeding much. "It's not..."

"I know, it was just enough to knock her out," he smiled. "Now you go get her healed. And be careful!"

"Don't worry I know just the place," he said, pulling out the star shard. "See you Peter. And I'm sorry about Wendy."

"No worries," he reassured. "Now you go!"

Riku nodded; "Star shard, activate!"


	19. A Hostile Reflection

**Author's Note:** So yeah. sorry about not updating on time (again), college and stuffs :/ Ah, well.

So I'm going to start adding what music to play in bold and brackets during the chapter, a trick a got from another KH fanfic :P

Also, I've brought back everyone's favourite bad boy. I love him, the fangirls want him and you all know him, it's...!

Well, if you read it, you'll find out :P

* * *

_Keyblade Graveyard -The Badlands-_

Master Xehanort stood on the edge of the cliff looking out over the desolate wasteland below him. It had been nearly fourteen years earlier that he had last done this. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

Terra's struggle to keep the elderly Keyblade Master from harming his friends.

Aqua's fight with that cursed king to stop Vanitas from opening the door to Kingdom Hearts.

And Ventus...

'_Ah, Ventus..._' he thought. '_It was such a shame you did not have enough darkness in your heart. You proved to be quite resilient in the end_'

He heard a dark corridor open behind him. He turned his head slightly to see a one of the younger members of the Thirteen Hearts of Darkness. It was this member that Xehanort had chosen to spy on the progress of the Keyblade Wielders of Light.

"I have bad news old man," he said in an uncaring tone. "Cyrus is dead. He was taken out by that loser, Sora, the bitch and that red head from Xemnas' Organization. There were a few Bloomingdale locals involved too, but they all headed off somewhere else."

"Why did you not follow them, Vanitas?" the old man asked calmly.

Vanitas didn't want to say the next bit, but he had to keep his Leader informed.

"It's Shade...she's still alive..." he said cautiously.

"Oh?" Master Xehanort said, not raising his voice and sending shivers down Vanitas's spine. "How is it Shade is? I thought you and Lerax were going to kill it after it rampaged in Subeta?

"She escaped..." Vanitas replied, trying not to lose his cool. "She's with Riku and it seems she has developed a personality disorder."

"What does that mean?"

"Well...one of my Unversed saw them in Neverland and in one instant she was happy and had very few skills with a Keyblade, but when that pirate and Riku flared their darkness, she snapped and entered the state she was in after she escaped the lab. She wants revenge against you, you know that right?"

"Fufufufu, and it thinks it's is going to get it?" Xehanort chuckled. "It's nothing more than a Heartless with a conscience, and even then, it's flawed. It will stand no chance against us."

"But...old man-"

"It has too much darkness in its fractured heart; Shade is as of little use to the Hearts of Light as it is to the Hearts of Darkness. We have nothing to fear from it. Now go! Keep an eye on Sora and his friends. We have to be prepared for the coming battle. Did you unlock the Keyhole in Autumn Woods, considering they did not do it themselves?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Vanitas replied with a wave of his hand before disappearing through the dark corridor again.

Master Xehanort smiled to himself.

"Very soon, it will all be over."

XXX

_Lanes Between, Gummi Ship_

"...And so he gave up, on his black belt and first Dan, as near as he got to China, was a week in Camber sands," Lea sang along to the radio as he drove the Gummi Ship. "I could have been a contender, a could have been a someone, caught up..."

"I didn't even know this thing _had _a radio," Kairi said, leaning over to Sora. She turned to Lea.

"Who are these again?"

Lea continued to sing, oblivious to what Kairi asked him.

"Lea...Lea!"

"...What?" he asked, snapping out of song.

"Who are these?" Kairi repeated.

"You haven't heard of them?" Lea asked with genuine shock. "They're Reverend and the Makers, great indie band."

"That explains why we haven't heard of them," Sora said jokingly. "So where are we off to now?"

"Well, the computer says that the Keyhole of Requiem has already been opened...someone must've opened it when we were in Radiant Garden...ah well, saves us going back"

"That's weird..." Kairi mused. "Who opened it...it can't have been Riku, he's not doing this..."

"Don't worry about it," Sora smiled. "So, where are we going?"

"Hmmm..." Lea said, examining the screen. "Well, well, well" He turned to Sora and Kairi. "Disney Town!"

"There's a Keyhole there?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Yup, looks like it," Lea laughed. "You get to see Donald and...what was the other one called?"

"Goofy," Sora reminded him, to which Lea nodded, now remembering.

"As long as we don't have to listen to this anymore," Kairi laughed.

"Hey!" Lea said in defence.

They trio laughed as they set a course for Disney Town, with Sora excited to see the friends that helped him on his first three journeys.

XXX

_Disney Town -Plaza-_

Sora, Kairi and Lea walked around, looking at the colourful buildings and the somewhat child-friendly quality to it all. Sora hadn't been outside the castle before, but he never imagined it would be so bright.

And Kairi and never seen such a kaleidoscope of colour before either. The brightest colours she had seen were the warm peach colours of the houses at the Islands. And Lea? Well he's just not used to bright colours.

Other than red.

Around the plaza were various decorations. Colourful balloons of all shapes and sizes, several ice cream stalls (one of which Lea immediately ran to screaming "GIMME THE BLUE STUFF!") and hundreds of brightly coloured flags. A huge banner with 'Dream Festival' written in large words hung across the plaza.

"What's the 'Dream Festival'" Sora asked looking around. He spied a weird contraption that looked like it fired ice cream. Sora immediately felt an unknown, burning contempt for the machine.

"I don't know," Lea replied as walked up to them holding three sea-salt ice creams. "But it's good value. Three ice creams of any choice for 75 munny" He took a lick of the middle one and hand the other two to Kairi and Sora respectively.

They didn't have time to enjoy them however, as small blue creatures appeared from the ground followed by more blue creatures that vaguely resembled Soldier Heartless. Sora sighed and dropped his ice cream. Kairi did the same.

"No way..." Lea whispered in disbelief.

The trio summoned their Keyblades.

(**Dance to the Death-Kingdom Heart 2**) The monsters immediately went on the attack. Sora hacked and slashed his way through the smaller blue creatures, while Kairi focused on getting rid of the Soldier-like monsters with Fire and Blizzara. But the more they defeated the more kept on coming.

Sora span on the spot and took out the creatures that were foolish enough to leap at him. When he stopped he spied Lea trying to take down as many of them as possible while still holding his ice cream in his left hand.

"I haven't had one for nearly four months!" he shouted at the monsters. "You won't take it alive! You all vanished 13 and a half years ago anyway!"

"What!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora, behind you!" Kairi shouted.

He whipped around and saw one of the humanoid creatures heading straight for him. He blocked and countered, strike it down in one it. Sora cursed as three more small blue things and a Soldier-thing charged him.

"Look out!" came a voice from above him.

Sora didn't have time think. He instinctively dodge rolled out of the way, only to see a tall dog and a duck fall on his previous spot.

"Donald, Goofy!" Sora rejoiced.

"Your Majesty! Hurry up!" Donald shouted as he began taking down the smaller monsters.

"Hold on you three," said a mouse from behind Sora.

He took a swing of his Keyblade and said "Holy".

In an instant the creatures were gone. (**End Dance to the Death**)

After the fight, Sora caught up with Mickey, Donald and Goofy and told them of their exploits in Autumn Woods.

"...so now, one of the Organization members is dead," he concluded.

"Great job you three," Mickey smiled. "And tell those kids thanks from me as well when you next see them."

Sora nodded before Kairi stepped forward.

"Your Majesty...um...what were those things?" she asked him.

"They're called Unversed. They disappeared years ago when their creator was destroyed," Mickey replied grimly. "But it looks like..."

"Yep, you losers guessed it, I'm still around," came a demeaning voice from one of the rooftops.

The group looked up to see a boy, about Sora's age, in a black coat sat on the edge of one of the buildings. Sora raised his Keyblade. The cloaked boy summoned his own. It was black and red and had a cog design.

"Look. I have one too," he laughed. "How's it going...Ventus?"

"Who?"

"You're heart is a prison," the boy said cryptically, pulling his hood back. "Even if you don't know it."

Kairi gasped in shock. Lea's eyes widened. Sora just stood there in shock.

"You're..." he started.

"I'm Vanitas," his black-haired lookalike said. "Old man Xehanort brought me back to be part of his Organization."

As Vanitas entered a monologue Kairi whispered to the King.

"Who is he?"

"The source of the Unversed. He was supposed to have died several years ago, but it looks like Master Xehanort brought him back..."

"By the way, Mousey," Vanitas cackled. "Shouldn't you be checking to see if your wife is safe?"

With that he disappeared in a dark corridor. Mickey hurried off to the castle, followed by Donald and Goofy. Lea beckoned for Kairi and Sora to follow. But Sora had other things on his mind.

"My heart's...a prison?" he said to himself.


	20. Don't Ever Doubt Yourself

**Author's Note: **Yay! SoraxKairi fluff! :D

* * *

_Disney Town –Castle Courtyard-_

The group of humans and anthropomorphic animals ran into the courtyard. Mickey breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness" he turned to the others. "Donald, Goofy, you keep watch out here for anymore of them." The duck and dog nodded at the order. "Sora, Kairi, Lea can you follow me. There's something you should know."

The King ran off to the library, followed closely by the trio. As they turned along the Colonnade Sora was wondering about his black-haired other. It shocked him to think that he had an evil twin-like person in the Organization. Could this be what Master Xehanort did to him in The World That Never Was?

"Um...Your Majesty? Who was that black-haired me?"

"Vanitas," the King replied, opening the door to the Library. "I'm not too sure why he looks like you, or why he has even returned. He was killed over thirteen years ago."

"By who?" Kairi asked.

"By Master Aqua, Ven and myself."

The group entered the Library and were greeted by the Queen. Everyone but the King bowed/curtseyed but the Minnie waved them all to stop.

"You three don't have to do that," she laughed turning to Mickey. "How was it? Did anymore of them show up?"

Mickey nodded gravely.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...Why have they started showing up again?"

"I was just about to explain that," Mickey replied. He turned from his wife to the trio. "Those monsters you saw are called Unversed. The source of them, from what Master Yen Sid told me, was Vanitas, the boy you saw. He was an apprentice of Master Xehanort thirteen years ago and was killed shortly after the blade was formed. He is connected to a boy called Ven."

"Ven..." Lea repeated, thinking. "I know that boy!" All the heads whipped around to look at him. "He came to Radiant Garden once. Funny...he looked a lot like Roxas."

"Do you know where he is now?" Mickey asked desperately.

"Sorry, I only met him once."

The King sighed; "Well that's to be expected...We just need to know where his body is."

"What do you mean 'his body'?" Kairi asked.

"His heart is missing," a voice cackled throughout the room. The four summoned their Keyblades as a dark corridor formed in the corner. Vanitas stepped out. "Do you know where it is, Sora?"

Sora charged recklessly at Vanitas but Vanitas stopped the attack by grabbing his Keyblade. Whilst this was going on, Lea was thinking about what Vanitas had said earlier.

'_Your heart is a prison..._' he thought. His eyes widened as he realised what he meant. He summoned his Blazing Inferno and struck the unprepared Vanitas in the thigh.

Vanitas fell to the floor and growled. With a wave of his hand several Unversed appeared in the room. Minnie squealed as they made their way to her. They were stopped by Kairi as she disposed of them in one fell swoop.

"You little bitch!" Vanitas shouted summoning his Void Gear and firing a Blizzard at her.

"You're underestimating me!" Kairi yelled back as she blocked the spell.

Vanitas growled again before cackling and disappearing.

"I don't like him," Sora said. "I know I don't like most people we fight. But I _really _don't like him."

"I know where Ven's heart is," Lea said turning to Sora.

"Where?" Sora asked. "Maybe then we can-"

(**Ven's Theme**) He was cut off by Lea's hand in his face.

"Because, Sora, his heart is inside yours," Lea replied as he turned to everyone. "That explains why Roxas looked like him, and why he had emotions, despite being a Nobody, and why Sora can wield the Keyblade."

The group fell silent. Sora put his hand on his heart. He looked at everyone.

"So what am I then?" he asked. "A copy? Vanitas is right...my heart is a prison...and my abilities with the Keyblade are only thanks to Ven."

"Nonsense!" the King chimed. "That may have been the case in the beginning, but you showed the Keyblade you were worthy of wielding it on your own. Not many people can do that."

"Sora..." Kairi said quietly.

XXX

_Disney Town –Disney Castle, Library-_

Kairi watched as Sora fell apart. He always thought that his heart was strong enough to wield the Keyblade on his own, without help. And everyone in the room knew that. But this was the first time she had seen Sora doubt himself.

And truth be told? It scared her.

"Then tell me what I should do?" Sora shouted. "Mickey, my heart is keeping Ven's heart prisoner...!"

"It needed healing..." Mickey started.

"And now you're telling me that my abilities with this Keyblade..." He summoned the Kingdom Key. "Are down to Ven? What does that make me? I saved the worlds, stopped Ansem and Xemnas...but that was all down to Ven..." Sora's voice raised considerably. "What if he wasn't there? What then?"

Kairi felt tears well up, but she felt helpless as...the person she loved lost his sense of purpose.

"Sora calm down!" Lea shouted.

Sora ignored him. He continued to shout.

"You see this key?" he shouted, holding the Keyblade aloft. "This isn't mine! It _never_ belonged to me!" He threw it on the ground in frustration. But it went back to him.

"See? It does belong to you!" Mickey reassured him.

"It belongs to...!" Sora started, just as Kairi ran up to him, crying.

"Stop it!" she sobbed holding on to his shoulders. "Stop being stupid! Just...stop...please!"

XXX

Sora looked at Kairi's sobbing face. He felt ridiculous standing there as he realised what he had done.

"I need to clear my head..." he mumbled. "Please let go."

Kairi looked at him but understood. She let go and Sora silently left the room. Kairi turned to the King then to Lea and finally Minnie.

"Go after him," she said.

"B...but..." Kairi sniffed.

"He needs you," Minnie said. "Go on."

Kairi hesitated but walked out the room after Sora.

XXX

Sora had barely got the end of the Colonnade when he heard footsteps running after him. He turned and was shocked to find Kairi chasing him.

"Sora!" she shouted, still a bit teary. "Wait!"

"What are you doing? I want to be alone" he said, but he couldn't be angry at her.

"I don't care!" Kairi said, hugging him. "I just...I don't want you to think that you're a copy. You earned that Keyblade through the use of your own heart, not Ven's. Please don't ever doubt yourself like that again, because...it...scared me..."

Sora pulled her in closer and hugged her tenderly.

"I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me...I shouldn't have scared you or acted like that, I won't do it again, I promise."

Kairi looked up at Sora's face and stared into eyes. They blue like the sky.

He stared into hers. They were as deep as the ocean.

Slowly, and nervously, they leaned into each other and kissed.

Lea watched on from the Library door. He turned to the King and Queen.

"I think they'll be just fine," he chuckled. (**End Ven's Theme**)


	21. What Lea Saw

**Author's Note:** Yeah another update, yaaaay! And guess what? More fluff! Yaaaay! As you can see I'm in a good mood :D (yaaaay!) but we have no ice cream... :( (boooo!)

*Ahem* yeah, anyway, I would like to thank everyone who has read this fanfic so far. I know I'm not the best of writers on here but you guys keep me going, especially my little band of followers (I have groupies D: ) thanks for, well, following the story. And drop in a few reviews when you read this story cos they really keep me going. And it's good to know I'm writing for you and not AT you.

Oh and if you want to know the song Lea sings in this (and what the chapter title is based on it's What the Milkman Saw by Reverend and the Makers. What? You thought I'd made them up? HA, no.

Anyway enough of the long A/N.

Onwards!

* * *

_Disney Town -Disney Castle, Second Colonnade-_

Vanitas watched the couple kiss from the other side of the castle. It made him sick.

'_Damn...I thought for sure that would work,_' he thought. '_Guess that's what happens when you trust Old Man Xehanort with these things...Looks like I'm gonna have to try something new..._'

With that he disappeared into a dark corridor.

XXX

_Disney Town -Disney Castle, Colonnade-_

This felt amazing. Sora had often dreamt about this, but he never had the guts to ask her out. Now she had come to him, granted it wasn't under the best of circumstances, but still. And she was kissing him! He felt her soft lips on his. He was worried that he might be being a bit too rough or was being a bad kisser, but Kairi didn't complain. Time had stopped for the two of them.

Sora almost wished that he could separate Kairi and himself from the coming battle and just keep this moment going on forever.

For eternity.

XXX

_Disney Town –Disney Castle, Colonnade-_

Lea stood there like a peeping Tom. He had tried to sneak up on the lovebirds, but they hadn't noticed him. Now he was just walking around them, trying to get their attention.

"How long are you going to keep that up?" he asked. "And how do breathe? Through your ears?"

It was then that Sora opened his eyes to look at Kairi, only to jump back in surprise when he saw Lea stood next to them. Kairi gasped and blushed when she so him as well. The two fumbled about, both embarrassed and as red as tomatoes.

"H...how long have been stood there?" Sora asked.

"Long enough," Lea smiled.

"You're a perv, you know that?" Kairi said dryly.

"I am no such thing; it's your fault for being too busy to notice me!" Lea laughed. "Anyway I'm off to find that Keyhole" he started to walk off. "Play nice you two!"

Sora and Kairi blushed even redder, leaving Lea giggling like a schoolgirl all the way down the stairs.

As Lea turned into the courtyard he thought back to his days in Radiant Garden. He and Isa had joined the Organization after they stumbled upon Xehanort and the others' Nobodies. It was after that that everything went to hell.

He thought even further back to a few days beforehand, he and his girlfriend Laylah had gone to see one of his favourite bands.

XXX

_Radiant Garden –Central Square- Twelve years ago_

Lea and Laylah walked hand in hand to the castle. The King of the castle, Ansem the Wise, had lent a large room out to Reverend and the Makers, an indie band from elsewhere in the world, and Lea's favourite.

In their free hands were ice creams; strawberry crunch for Laylah and rocky road for Lea. They occasionally took licks from the other's cone out of affection (and to sometimes annoy the other)

Lea adored Laylah, although he never said it to anyone but Isa. This was the longest relationship he had had with a girl. Sure, he got a lot of girls vying for his attention in high school, but Laylah was the first person that liked him for who he was, not for his looks. To him, Laylah meant everything.

"So, are you excited?" Lea asked, attempting to take another lick of her ice cream.

"Yeah, but...I've only listened to their CD once, so I don't know all the words," she said sadly whilst pushing Lea's face away.

"Don't worry about it, they'll come back to you," Lea smiled. "Got it memorized?"

Laylah smiled back at him and kissed him on the cheek; "Yeah, I got it memorized."

_Radiant Garden -Reverend and the Makers concert- twelve years ago_

"She's had a black one, she's had a white one, she's had a brown one!" the crowd sang along to the band. "And Johnny reckons that he saw her in the chemist buying something for the weekend, telling you it's true, cos my cousin is her best friend!"

The crowd jumped, cheered and sang along as the Reverend and his band performed their debut concert. Lea and Laylah were at the front row, singing and cheering. Lea looked at his girlfriend as she sang. She looked absolutely stunning in the concert lights. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back and her dark brown eyes shone in the artificial light.

And her voice.

Although it was faint, he could hear her hit every note perfectly, sometimes doing a better job than the Reverend himself. It was like a mix between birdsong and an angelic choir.

He put his arm around her and pulled her in close.

It was then that a huge rumbling was felt throughout the hall. The band abruptly stopped playing.

"What the hell was that?!" the Reverend shouted to one of the technicians, who shrugged.

The Reverend sighed and went to start singing, only for a large purply-blue void to appear above the stage. (**Forze del Male start**) Out of it floated a man with long silver hair and a monstrous black creature behind him.

"It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness," the man announced before the black creature proceeded to attack everyone with dark energy balls.

Everyone immediately went into a panic. Lea instinctively grabbed Laylah's hands and tried to run for the exit. Around him were people getting crushed, punched and trampled on as a large brawl for the doors erupted.

"Lea...you're...hurting...my arm..." Laylah shouted over the screams as she ran.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you go," Lea replied frantically pushing through people to the crowded door. "I won't lose you!"

Lea ducked under a few more punches and kicks as he got closer to the door. But then he lost his grip on Laylah.

He turned and called out her name, but she was immediately submerged in the sea of panic. Lea on the other hand was pushed through the door by several others.

He fell to the floor and could only curl up into a ball to protect himself from the onslaught of panicked fans. He caught a glimpse in the room. Small yellow eyed monsters had appeared and were begin to consume people.

"LAYLAH!" he shouted into the crowd.

"Kid, move it!" a man said grabbing on to his arm.

"No but...my girlfriend!" Lea shouted at him helplessly.

"She's lost in there, if you want to live then get out of here!"

Lea forced himself out of the man's grip.

"I'm not leaving without her!" he shouted angrily. "Got it memorized?!"

"Suit yourself," the man said before turning and running.

Lea turned to the crowd again. But this time he saw an unexpected sight. The blue-haired Isa was stood there. But there was something odd about him. Next to him was another silver haired man, brandishing what looked like a key shaped sword.

The silver haired man pointed the sword at him.

And everything went black. (**End Forze del Male**)

XXX

_Disney Town -Disney Castle, Courtyard-_

"I'll find you, Laylah," Lea said with some determination. "Someday."

"I wouldn't count on it," said a moody voice from behind him.

Lea whipped round, Keyblade bared.

"You again?" he growled.

"Hahahaha, yes, me," Vanitas laughed. "You need to stop living in the past" Vanitas began pacing around the grass. "Laylah's gone. Get over it."

"No she's not!" Lea bellowed. "She's alive, I know she is!"

Vanitas looked him dead in the eye with very serious look; "Believe what you want. But she's not coming back to you."

Lea growled in anger.

"Besides," Vanitas said with a cruel smile. "It should Sora and Kairi you should be worried about."

Lea's eyes widened as he turned and run to them both.

"And don't expect help from the King and his lackeys!" Vanitas shouted. "They're a little busy right now!"


	22. Lingering Will

**Author's Note: **What's this? A third chapter in a week? Well ain't I good to you? :D

Now, a little something, I can't answer question on guest reviews and I don't really want to explain everything in my A/Ns cos there are people who don't really want to know and have their own theories. Not being pedantic (think I spelt tht right) but if you've got questions, can you please make an account and I'll be willing to answer them, just not too spolier heavy.

Oh and Kh530? I lied :P

* * *

_Disney Town -Disney Castle, Colonnade-_

Sora watched Lea turn the corner. When he was out of sight (and out of earshot) he turned to Kairi.

"So er...umm..." he stumbled over his words.

"How was it?" she asked for him. Sora nodded. "It wasn't that bad, so don't worry."

She smiled warmly at him and he smiled back. They had stopped blushing now, but still didn't know what to do now. Sora thought that maybe he should kiss her again, but then it might seem like he was forcing himself onto her. He settled for getting on with the quest.

"Maybe...we should look for that Keyhole?" Sora and Kairi suggested at the same time, causing them to start laugh a little.

"Sounds like a plan," Kairi giggled.

"Right," Sora nodded. "The King should have some idea where it is." He turned and ran off to the Library. He turned his head to Kairi. "Come on!"

Kairi watched him as he ran back.

'_Oh Sora,_' she thought happily.

_Disney Town –Disney Castle, Library-_

"...so that's why we need your help," Sora explained.

"Gosh...I didn't know our world was so important," the King said. "But...I think I have an idea of where it might be."

The King scurried out the Library, with Sora and Kairi following him.

"There's an awful lot of running in this kind of thing, isn't there?" Kairi laughed.

"Meh, you get used to it," Sora shrugged.

Mickey stopped entered the Audience Chamber, beckoning Sora and Kairi to follow. Kairi thought that the oversized door, with a small door at the bottom was a little confusing and a tad pointless, but she didn't mention it out of courtesy.

"What's in here?" Kairi whispered to Sora as Mickey ran up to the throne.

"The Hall of the Cornerstone..." Sora replied as he figured out what the King was up to.

The King pressed a button underneath the throne's armrest and stood still as the floor slid open, revealing a long stairway that led under the castle. Sora and Kairi started down the stairs, followed by the King.

"If it's anywhere, it'll be here," he said, sounding sure of himself.

The three of them ended up in an excessively tall room (like most of the rooms in the castle). In the centre was a glowing orb on an ornate stone pedestal. Kairi gazed in awe at the orb. It was considerably bigger than the Sora and herself and dwarfed the King.

Mickey stood in front of the orb.

"This, Kairi, is the Cornerstone of Light," he said. "It safeguards our world from darkness...or at least it was supposed to...It's gotten weaker since that time Maleficent tried to take over the castle."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can get it back to full strength," Sora reassured while looking at the back wall. "I see that portal is gone?"

"Yeah," Mickey replied. "It disappeared shortly before yours and Riku's exam."

"And it will be opened again," came a voice from behind them.

Sora turned to see his black-haired other walking towards them. He drew his Keyblade.

"Relax I'm not after that stupid orb," Vanitas said. "Nor that pathetic queen, or this world."

"What do you mean 'it will be again'?" the King asked warily.

"Exactly that," Vanitas sighed. "Man, you guys are slow. Watch."

Vanitas stood next to Kairi with his arms folded, sending shivers up her spine. How could someone so...like Sora be completely different? Even his breathing was different. It wasn't soft or calm like Sora's more...cocky and heavy. Certainly faster paced at the very least.

She caught eyes with him and was immediately enthralled by his eyes- the same eyes as Sora, yet so evil.

"Boo," Vanitas said before laughing like a madman.

The icy feeling in the room was broken by a loud whooshing sound. Opening before them on the back wall was a gigantic portal.

"I know that portal..." Sora gasped.

"Yeah," Vanitas said. "And someone is waiting for you on the other side."

Sora took a step towards the portal, but was stopped by Kairi.

"Don't be so reckless!" she hissed. "What if it's a trap?"

"Oh it's definitely a trap," Vanitas laughed. "But...you could learn something..."

"What he said," Sora sighed. "And if we don't go to them, they'll come to us, and then this world will be in even more danger..."

Vanitas decided that that was the time to take his leave. Sora turned to Mickey.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone's safe," the King said.

"You ready?" Sora asked, turning to Kairi.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Kairi said with a deep breath.

Hand in hand, they stepped through the gargantuan portal.

XXX

_Keyblade Graveyard -The Badlands-_

Sora and Kairi stepped out as the portal disappeared behind them. Kairi ran over to the edge of a cliff. Below the sheer drop was a field of broken, faded, lifeless Keyblades. The whole sight made Kairi almost tearful.

Sora walked over to Kairi.

"Weird isn't it?" he said. "To think that there was once this many Keyblade bearers..."

"How did they get there?" Kairi said already knowing the answer.

"A great Keyblade War..." came a sad voice from behind them making Kairi jump.

Kairi turned around to see a suit of armour kneeling against a Keyblade.

"Excuse me?" Kairi asked as Sora sighed.

"'A great Keyblade War'...That's what he said..." the armour stood up tall and pulled its Keyblade out of the ground. "What Xehanort said...Keyblade bearers flocked from across the World to fight for the light in Kingdom Hearts...that's what he said..."

"Kairi this is..." Sora started. "Well...I don't know _who _this is...the Journal called him the Lingering Will"

The Lingering Will turned to face them.

"You have returned" it noted.

"Yeah...though we're not quite sure why..." Sora said before getting an idea. "Oh! By the way...Mister...Xehanort is back..."

The Lingering Will said nothing, only gripping its Keyblade tighter.

"And...There's gonna be another Keyblade War"

Again the Lingering Will said nothing.

"So I was wondering...if you could get out of here...would you help us? The battle is going to take place on a world called Requiem if-"

The Will held up its armoured hand.

"I will be there...to stop Xehanort...and to bring back Aqua and Ven."

"Ven?!" Sora gasped with surprised. "You know Ven?!"

"Yes."

"I know what happened to him! Well, his heart any-"

"Ho ho! This is a sight I did not expect to see!" laughed an elderly voice from atop a cliff.

The group looked up to see the hunched figure of Master Xehanort standing high above them.

"It's been too long, Terra!" he said.

"Xehanort!" the Lingering Will roared as it charged for the cliff.


	23. Xehanort Attacks

**Author's Note:** Not much to say about this, so I'll sum it up in a few words. Sora, magic, Xehanort, battle, duel, triangles!

Yeah...I have problems, in case you haven't realised XD

Anyway, chapter. It's a good 'un :D

* * *

_Keyblade Graveyard -The Badlands-_

(**Black Powder- Kingdom Hearts BBS OST**) The Lingering Will jumped up the cliff like an assassin. As soon as it reached the top it raised its Keyblade and swung it down. It was blocked almost simultaneously by the elderly man's demonic Keyblade. Repeatedly the suit of armour struck Xehanort's Keyblade, and repeatedly it was blocked.

Master Xehanort waited for an opening.

"Freeze!" he shouted when he saw one, firing a large ice crystal at the Lingering Will, causing it to fall off the cliff.

"No!" Sora shouted, firing an Aeroga to cushion the armour's fall.

"You're cruel! Who exactly are you?!" Kairi shouted, unusually angry.

The old man's mouth curled into a sinister smile. In the blink of an eye, Xehanort teleported down to the foot of the cliff. He stared at Kairi with eyes full of evil and madness. Uneasy, she took a step back.

"My name is Master Xehanort," he said wiggling his fingers unnecessarily. "I am a Keyblade Master from long ago. I came close to unlocking the door to Kingdom Hearts once, but I was too hasty, my child. So now I'm going to do it the true way. And you..." He dramatically pointed a finger at Kairi. "Are part of it!"

"Not if we can help it!" Sora shouted summoning his Keyblade. Kairi did the same.

Xehanort only laughed. "I'm afraid it's inevitable. The blade will be forged. And the worlds _will_ be mine."

"Not if we can help it!" Sora shouted firing a volley of Firagas at Xehanort.

Xehanort summoned his Keyblade and blocked all of them, sending them back to the caster, who took Kairi and jumped out of the way. Xehanort chuckled and walked calmly towards Sora and Kairi.

"I had thought that you, Sora, would've have been more of a challenge," Xehanort said with a cocky grin. "I barely felt any force behind those attacks."

"Sora, don't listen to him!" Kairi shouted as Sora growled at the old man.

"And you, Princess, you have no way of defending yourself! You're just a novice with the Keyblade. Average at best. You're not Master material."

This time it was Kairi's turn to get mad. Furious, she charged at Xehanort with Destiny's Embrace raised. She swung it down on the old man's head, giving a severe cut. Xehanort only laughed and swiped at Kairi, who ducked and countered with a Thundara.

Meanwhile, the Lingering Will had seen this and decided to attack. Casting Curaga on itself, the animated armour dashed towards Xehanort and tried to uppercut him. Xehanort swung around and grabbed the Keyblade's teeth with his free hand, while simultaneously countering Kairi's attacks.

"You really didn't think I'd forgotten about you, Terra?" Xehanort said callously. "You who, if I recall, gave me a body to last as long as I did? You allowed me to further my research on Kingdom Hearts. It was _you_ who caused the worlds to be in danger. It was _you_ who gave in to the darkness. It was _you_ who allowed Aqua and Ventus to succumb to their fates."

The Lingering Will tried to overpower Xehanort, but the Keyblade Masters words were true. If he hadn't have succumbed to darkness, his friends wouldn't be where they were. Eraqus would still be alive. Everything would have been the same. He collapsed in shame.

Suddenly Sora slashed Xehanort's arm. He reclined in pain, causing Kairi to finally strike another hit on Xehanort's hip.

"Don't listen to him," Sora said to the Will. "I don't know what happened nearly fourteen years ago, but I'm sure you aren't to blame. Now let's do this..." Sora held out a hand and smiled. "Terra."

The Lingering Will looked at Sora, unsure of what to do. But then it realised that it couldn't afford to be unsure, that's what got him into this mess in the first place. The Will grabbed Sora's hand and stood up.

"You're right Sora," he said before turning to Xehanort. "My name is Terra. I was a student under Master Eraqus. I travelled a dark road and lost my friends because of it. I have waited here for many years and now, here in this Graveyard, I _will_ defeat you!"

"You really believe you can beat me? A failed Master, a girl, and a lost cause?" Xehanort asked them. Their resolve didn't budge. "Very well. I will defeat you here and now."

With that the four of them clashed.

XXX

_Disney Town -Disney Castle, Hall of the Cornerstone-_

"Your Majesty!" Lea shouted as he ran down the stairs into the bright room. "Where's...Woah!"

He stopped when he saw Mickey fighting a large horde of Unversed. Immediately he summoned Eternal Inferno and set about killing the monsters. He hacked and slashed his way to Mickey.

"Where are the others?" he asked when he got close. He noticed the portal. "And where'd that come from?"

"They're on the other side," Mickey replied while taking out a Tank Toppler. "Where's Vanitas?"

"Courtyard," Lea replied taking out a few Scrappers. "Urgh, give me Heartless anyday!"

XXX

_Keyblade Graveyard -The Badlands- _

Sora and Terra began to strike Xehanort together, while Kairi stayed back, firing spells at the old man with deadly accuracy. Xehanort had to admit that Terra had grown stronger over the years, probably due to fighting Heartless, and Sora wasn't that weak either now that he was attacking him. Kairi, though still the weakest, was stronger than he had anticipated too. She reminded him of Aqua.

"Get out of the way," Terra told Sora.

Confused, Sora jumped away as Terra unleashed Geo Impact, sending Xehanort upwards. Kairi took her chance and fired a Triple Blizzaga at the falling man, which struck him directly in the chest.

Xehanort landed with a grunt of pain, but stood up like it was nothing. He raised his hand at Terra and a large pillar of rock shot out. Sora watched the armoured thoughts fall through the air, looking weak. He thought of how he could save him.

"I got it!" Sora shouted as he entered a Drive form. "Hey...this isn't like the others..."

Sora looked at his clothes. They had turned golden-brown and his shoulders and gained armoured plates. It was another new form.

"Just like in Autumn Woods," Sora whispered. He summoned his Keyblade, but this time he summoned Terra's. Sora laughed and charged at Xehanort.

Xehanort prepared to block, but was caught off guard by an uppercut followed by a large and powerful Meteor Crash.

"Hey, this is pretty cool," Sora laughed.

Kairi laughed also and cast Aeroga on Sora to protect him, whilst Xehanort angrily struck Sora repeatedly.

"You may have your pathetic Drive forms, but you will never defeat me!" he roared as he summoned a cloud of broken Keyblades from the ground below.

"Reflega!" Kairi shouted and shot a magical beam at Sora.

It connected with him and opened up a magical shield, sending the Keyblades flying across the plateau. Sora charged up the Keyblade again and used another Meteor Crash, which Xehanort couldn't block as he was busy blocking the abandoned keys.

Xehanort fell to the ground and Sora exited his new drive form. Terra reappeared. Xehanort stood up unsteadily and began laughing madly. (**End Black Powder**)

(**Xehanort's theme**)

"Well done, Sora!" he said joyfully confusing the three Keyblade wielders. "You have successfully passed this test. If it were up to me, I would make you Master in a second. But unfortunately I have to take my leave."

He opened a dark corridor.

"Wait!" Sora shouted. The old man stopped. "What would've happened if we weren't good enough?"

"Why, I would have killed you on the spot," Xehanort chuckled, not looking at them. "You really don't think I'd keep useless Keyblade wielders do you?"

He walked into the dark corridor and it closed behind him, leaving the three of them slightly stunned. (**End Xehanort's Theme**)

"What did you do?" Terra asked, astonished that Sora took down Xehanort.

Sora chuckled; "My friends are my power."

"You sound just like Ven," Terra said sadly.

"Oh!" Sora said, remembering something. "We're close to finding him."

"What!? You mean he's...alive?"

"Sort of, but he's safe," Sora smiled. He thought for a minute. "Aqua too."

Terra walked off and threw his Keyblade in the air. In transformed into a sort of vehicle.

"Good," he said. "I will leave this place now and start training now that I know that my friends are safe." He climbed onto the vehicle. "Goodbye Sora, and thank you."

A portal opened in the sky and the armoured mind of Terra took off through it, leaving Sora and Kairi to ponder on their situation.


	24. Dear You Kind

**Author's Note: **Hello readers! So one arc comes to a close and another opens. A little note here, the next two arcs will follow Riku and Shade's side of the story, likewise the two after that will follow Sora's group on their Exam. Also, sorry if it's late, the cats decided to use the computer as a toilet :/ (don't laugh, it's not funny *whispers* I can see you do it O_O)

Not much to say about this chapter other than enjoy :)

* * *

_Keyblade Graveyard -The Badlands-_

The wind blew softly through their hair. The sun was setting over the barren wasteland. The stars were starting to twinkle in the twilight. The only remnants of the battle were the Keyblades, scattered like dead leaves, and the cracks in the dusty ground.

All was quiet.

Kairi turned to Sora, her red hair frizzled and tangled in itself, yet still beautiful to him.

"Why did you lie to him?" she asked, with hint of disappointment in her voice.

"About what?" Sora asked, hoping to find a way around the question.

"You know what?" Kairi said more sternly. "You lied to him about Aqua."

"So?" he said dismissively. "What else good I say? That she had been missing for nearly fourteen years?"

"What if he finds out? He'll be distraught…"

"Then we'll find her before that happens," he replied with a smile.

The portal reopened behind them with a whoosh of wind. Sora turned and walked towards it.

"You really think so?" Kairi asked, doing the same.

"Yeah, and if we can't I'm sure Riku will."

The two stepped through the portal into the Hall of the Cornerstone only to find Lea and Mickey badly bruised and slightly cut up. When Sora opened his mouth to say something, Lea waved him to be quiet. Mickey walked up to them.

"You look in awfully bad shape," he noted. "What happened out there?"

"We ran into Master Xehanort," Kairi replied. "He's strong."

"That's to be expected, he is one of the most powerful Masters ever known…"

Sora sighed.

"Oh!" he said as he realised something. "Your Majesty, we found Terra!"

"What!? You did?" the King's eyes lit up. "How is he? Is he still there?"

"No…" Sora replied solemnly. "He took off when I told him Ven was safe…But he said he'll join us on Requiem"

"Oh…well at least we know he's ok," the tiny king said with a small smile.

"Where's Vanitas?" Kairi asked, stepping forward.

"He left with his Unversed shortly before you came back," Lea said, flexing his right arm before casting Cure on himself. "He said that Xehanort had got what he came for and then bolted."

"We still don't know where that Keyhole-" Kairi started.

Suddenly her Keyblade glowed a bright blue. It pointed itself at the Cornerstone of Light, just as a small Keyhole appeared in the glowing orb. The Keyhole was different from other Keyholes; the inside of it was completely blue and the edges let off a red wispy glow.

"Is that…?" Sora asked in shock.

"It must be…" Lea replied.

Kairi stood firm and pointed Destiny's Embrace at the keyhole. A bright blue beam shot out of the Keyblade and poured into the Keyhole like a waterfall. The Keyhole glowed and disappeared as an unlocking, metallic click was heard.

"Is that it?" Kairi asked turning to Sora. "Is it unlocked?"

Sora nodded before turning to the King. "We'd better get going now, Exam to do and all that haha."

The King nodded and the group took their leave. On their way back to the Gummi Ship, Sora and Kairi filled Lea in about their battle with Xehanort. In return, Lea teased Sora and Kairi about their kiss beforehand. It was times like this that made it all worthwhile to Sora.

"So are you two now going out?" Lea asked while laughing.

Sora laughed nervously as Kairi blushed.

"I'm sure Kairi doesn't think of me like that, right Kairi?"

"Oh...um, no..." said Kairi, a little disheartened. Sora didn't notice.

"You've gotten stronger, you know that?"

Kairi looked up at him. She now knew that Sora felt the same way as her, though he was oblivious to her feelings. But, it seemed that his praise meant a lot more than it should do.

"I'm proud of you," Sora smiled.

Kairi's face immediately lit up while she blushed.

"Thanks," she said.

Lea started making gagging noises, earning him a punch from Sora. He laughed harder. Although he never said it, he did care deeply for the two of them. He could see the likenesses of Roxas and Naminé in them, but that wasn't why he stuck with them. No, it something more, something he hadn't felt properly in a long time.

"...Lea? Lea!"

"Huh, sorry, what?" Lea said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"You looked out of it," Sora noted.

"What were thinking about?" asked Kairi.

"Oh, just wondering why I got saddled with two saps like you," Lea laughed jokingly.

"Gee, thanks..." Sora mumbled.

"Ah don't mention it, now last one to the Gummi Ship drives it!"

XXX

_Requiem -Throne Room-_

"They are making progress," Saix noted observing Sora's group through the floating orb of darkness in the centre of the room.

"Not bad for two half-pints and a traitor" chuckled Xigbar. "Are you sure you're not gonna go easy on him when the time comes, Saix?"

"No."

Xigbar snorted. Ansem was the next to speak.

"What of Riku?"

The orb scattered into small purple flames and reformed, this time showing Riku and the unconscious Shade in the Fountain Court of Hollow Bastion. The sight of her shocked most of the newer members in the room. All except number XIII.

"So, you're alive and well huh?" he said to his sister.

"Is XI still stationed there?" Number XII asked

Saix nodded. "He will take care of the matter."

"No he won't," Xigbar laughed with a wave of his hand. "If Cyrus can be ousted by Tiger and co, then Tesla will be no match for Riku and Blossom."

"You're saying the mistake is stronger than Number XI?" Saix growled.

"Not as her alter, but if her real self regains control, then Tesla will be done for. Master shouldn't have poured so much darkness in to her heart," XIII said solemnly.

"You almost sound sorry for it," Saix scoffed.

"No...But she is my sister; I have to feel at least _something_ towards her."

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Fountain Court-_

Riku landed in on the stone ground of Hollow Bastion. His thoughts immediately went to Shade. The unconscious girl was cradled in his arms. The wound on her neck wasn't serious, she wasn't bleeding out, but it did concern him.

He had to find help and fast.

Riku stood up, still cradling Shade, her arm hanging limply at her side.

"If I remember correctly..." Riku thought out loud. "They're near where the Restoration Site is..." He looked at Shade. Her breathing was fast and heavy. "Hang on, Shade. If you can hear me, hang in there. _Please_."

He took off with a hurry. It wasn't long before he heard voices. There were four of them; two male and two female. He decided that he should head in that direction. As he got closer he recognised two of the voices as Cloud and Tifa. The other two were still unknown to him. The female one sound young and sweet, like the owner of it was around his age or younger. The other was identifiably older than the girl, around the same age as Cloud, with a similar tone to Lea, though less cocky.

He round a few more corners and found himself above the Restoration Site. Down below were Cloud and Tifa. They had several cuts and other similar wounds on their bodies. Behind them was a man, around twenty with long(ish) scruffy brown hair held into a trio of spikes by a sweatband. He wore a long trenchcoat with a white shirt and jeans underneath. Next to him was a pink haired girl who looked ridiculously short next to him. She wore a black sleevless top with a black and white checkered skirt with black tights. She had her hair tied in two low ponytails. The four were talking amongst themselves.

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Restoration Site-_

"I came close to finishing him for good," Cloud said bitterly. "So close."

"Don't worry about it Cloud, we'll find him again," Tifa reassured.

"Wait!" Cloud ordered, holding his hand to his left and drawing his Buster Sword. "Someone's here."

Without warning, a silvery-blue haired boy jumped down from the rocks, making Kaede squeal with surprise. In his arms was the unconscious body of a black haired girl with a red emo fringe. Kara and Kaede immediately drew/summoned their weapons.

"Please, I need your help!" he begged. "My apprentice, she got injured badly, she needs healing! Can you show me where Aerith lives?"

The group lowered their weapons. Cloud looked at Tifa, who had run up to look at the girl. Kaede and Kara looked at each other with concern.

"What should we do? It could be a trap," Kaede whispered to her friend.

"I don't know...I think he's genuine," Kara said before talking to the boy directly. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Riku," he replied. "I'm a friend of Sora's."


	25. Dive into the Heart

**Author's note: **So yeah, sorry about the whole lack of updates thing, I got a laptop, moved everything on to it, found out it didn't have Word on it, forgot what I was going to write, got Word and had to rethink the chapter.

So here it is.

* * *

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Aerith held her hands over Shade's unconscious body. Shade's breathing was slow and heavy, getting Riku worked up about her safety. Leon reassured him for twenty-sixth time that she was in good hands. Nodding, Riku sipped the tea Yuffie had made him, be careful not to burn his tongue again.

"Hmph, she won't be the same after whatever she's been through," the one called Yuki said whilst watching _Elfen Lied_ on the TV.

"What?" Riku growled.

"You heard. Her darkness was in flux when she arrived. It's calming down, but it's still ridiculously high if you don't want your precious Shade to be swallowed by it," she replied, ending with a cackle.

"Right, that's it-" Riku said, summoning Way to the Dawn, but was blocked by the pink-haired girl (Kaede) and the black-haired girl (Amaya).

"Just ignore her," Kaede whispered. "That's just her personality, she can't help it."

"She'll be fine, don't worry," Amaya reassured softly.

Riku turned to his apprentice, her breathing was returning to normal. "I hope so."

XXX

_Dive into the Heart_

(**Dive into the Heart- Kingdom Hearts OST**) Shade woke up on a cold hard floor. She got up slowly and rubbed her head. She looked around. She was on a stained glass pillar. On it was a picture of herself, although her face was completely blacked out. In the pictures hand was her Keyblade, Midnight Fury. Behind her was a picturesque town and in the circles decorating the edge of the circle was the Heartless emblem. Above and around the pillar was a pitch black abyss.

"W-where...am I?" she asked herself.

"You're in the place where our two selves converge," came a darker voice from behind her.

Shade immediately spun around. The owner of the voice held a copy of Midnight Fury. And she looked the double of her!

"Who are you?" Shade shouted.

"I am you," the clone replied with a shrug. "And you are me, or rather, the person I could have been."

"What do you mean?" Shade asked, entering her battle stance before realising she couldn't summon her own Midnight Fury.

The other Shade looked down sadly and then disappeared in dark flames. Shade sighed then took a step forward.

_So much to do... Take your time. Don't be afraid._

Shade jumped. She looked around for the ominous voice that just spoke.

_So little time..._

She readied her Keyblade again.

_Take your time. Don't be afraid. Now step forward. Can you do it?_

Shade, not having much else to do stepped forward. As she made her way to the centre of the pillar, three stone pedestals appeared, one with a sword floating above it, one with a shield and one with a staff. The voice spoke again.

_Power sleeps within you. If you give it form...It will give you strength. Choose well._

"So I have to choose one?" She asked the voice. No reply. "Seems easy enough."

She looked at each of the items, then moved to the shield. As she did so, flashes of images ran through her mind. Herself screaming in agony as something was pumped directly into her heart. An evil old man. And a boy, a year older than her, shouting at her amidst the dead bodies that surrounded her.

Shade stopped moving. She clutched her chest where her heart was. It was beating softly.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice hoarse. She felt bile come into her mouth, but she force it back down. "Could that be...part of my past? Who was that old man?"

Cautiously Shade looked at the shield, then at the sword. Something in her mind told her she needed to get stronger. She nodded out of habit and walked to the sword. When she grabbed it, the voice spoke.

_The power of the warrior._

_Invincible courage._

_A sword of terrible destruction._

_Is this the power you seek?_

"Yes," Shade said firmly.

The sword disappeared and Shade immediately felt stronger, like a pathway to new power was unlocked.

_Your path is set._

_Now, what will you give up in exchange?_

"You're kidding," Shade said, sweatdropping.

Shade shook her head and thought carefully. The staff would increase her magic potential, which is something that is invaluable in combat but...the shield...something told her she would need that power.

"Guess that's that," she said, walking over to the staff and taking hold of it.

_The power of the mystic._

_Inner strength._

_A staff of wonder and ruin._

_You want to give up this power?_

Shade nodded and the staff disappeared.

_You have chosen the power of the warrior._

_You have given up the power of the mystic._

"Is this the form you choose?" came the dark voice of her copy from behind her.

Shade turned and looked at herself. She nodded, determined. Her copy smiled.

"Ok, I can't complain with that," she said. "There are people I want to protect too."

With that Other Shade vanished in dark flames again. Shade looked around as the pedestals sank into the ground. As they did so a path of stained glass steps appeared at the edge of the pillar. With not much else to do Shade walked up them. She found she could summon her Keyblade again as well.

"Cool," she said to herself as she climb them.

She reached the top of the stairs to find a second stained glass pillar. On it was the same picture as the first, only Shade's face was shown with her amber eye open and the town in the background was in flames.

_The closer you get to the light._

_The greater your shadow becomes._

Shade's eyes widened. She looked at her shadow. It was growing. It peeled itself from the glass floor. Shade took a few steps back as her shadow grew into a monstrous Heartless.

_But don't be afraid._

Shade ran to the edge of the pillar as the Heartless roared, almost falling off the edge. She looked at it. The feminine body, the tangled hair, the two glowing eyes, the Heartless emblem embedded on its left thigh. And the thing that frightened her the most as she realised what it was meant to be- the heart shaped hole where its heart should be.

"This is supposed to be me!"

_And don't forget..._

Shade felt something well up inside her. She opened her mouth and a series of untranslatable words spilled out. She wasn't sure of what she was saying, but in her mind she was ordering the Heartless to die.

And it worked.

The Heartless fell to its knees and collapsed on the ground in front of Shade. Shade laughed triumphantly.

Until her feet were enveloped in darkness. She struggled to get, trying to pull her legs out, but it was like quicksand. The voice spoke again, overlapped with the voice of her copy. It was shaky and scared.

"But don't be afraid!

"You hold the mightiest weapon of all!

"So don't forget: you are the one who will close the door!"

Shade gasped for air as her head was pulled under.

Everything went black.


	26. Backtrack

**Author's note:** Yeah...in case you guys haven't guessed the last chapter and this one are sort of filler chapters, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it!

So please, enjoy this important, semi-filler chapter :)

* * *

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Shade's eyes shot open to find Riku and tall man with brown spiky hair and a grey coat holding on to her arms and legs respectively. She looked at the Riku, then at the man, then at Riku again.

Quietly and very calmly she asked him, "Why are you holding my arms?"

Riku stared into her eyes. This was followed by an incredibly tight cuddle and him saying, "I'm so glad you're alright, I thought I'd lost you!"

"R-Riku...Can't...breathe," she managed to say.

"Oh...sorry," Riku said, letting go. "You started screaming and flailing in your sleep, so we tried to stop you."

Shade sat up slowly and looked at her surroundings. She was in a large house, furnished with basic wooden tables, comfy sofas (one of which she was sat on) and a large, out-of-place computer in one corner of the room, opposite the door. There was a stairway behind her sofa and just off the top left of corner was a doorway that delicious scent's wafted out of. Shade assumed that that was the kitchen. In the room were several people.

"Who are they?" Shade whispered.

"Shade this is Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Merlin, Kaede, Kara, Yuki and Amaya," he introduced, pointing at the respective people. There was a collective chorus of hellos.

"...Hi," was all Shade could say. "Riku, how did I get here? The last thing I remember was us fighting Captain Hook and then everything going black..."

Riku looked at the ground. Shade could tell that he was going to say something bad.

"Hook...managed to get the darkness to possess you," he looked up at her face. It was full of sorrow. "I had to fight you and you got injured, so I brought you here."

He put a hand on her shoulder, sending tingles down her spine. Happy tingles. Riku smiled.

"But you're safe now," he said softly.

Shade watched as Riku got up and walked to the kitchen, followed by Leon, Cloud and Yuki. Kaede sat down beside her.

"I can see why you like him," she said smiling sweetly.

"I-I do not!" Shade said defensively.

"Oh yeah? That's not what your face says," the pink-haired girl teased.

"Ahh...what's wrong with my face?" Shade asked, trying to cover it as she knew what Kaede meant. She was blushing.

"Do I really have to tell you?" Kaede asked leaning over to her. "Reeeeeaaaally?"

Shade blushed brighter as the tall girl, Amaya, walked up to them.

"Kaede, stop teasing her," she said sternly.

"Ok, Okasan," Kaede complied quietly. "Sorry Okasan."

Kaede shifted over to let Amaya sit down between them.

"She's only teasing you, don't let it get to you," she said to Shade softly.

"It's ok," Shade smiled, standing up and going to the door. "Now who's going to show me around this world?"

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Riku, Leon, Cloud and Yuki stood in the kitchen, sipping coffee. No one had said a word since the entered and, although Riku wanted to get the questions out of the way, he was in no hurry to start off the conversation.

Leon, while wanting to protect his friends, preferred letting people tell him what was going on and Cloud, who Riku noticed was standing a considerable distance from Yuki, never said much unless he had to.

Riku turned his gaze to Yuki. She was an odd person, her face was almost always in a scowl and when it wasn't, it was almost always in a cocky grin, Riku noticed this when he brought Shade in to the Restoration Committee's house. And the smell, it was odd. She smelled of strongly of darkness, but it wasn't the usual stench.

Yuki caught Riku's gaze.

"What?" she snapped.

Riku tutted in annoyance and looked away, which riled Yuki up more.

"If you've got something to say, say it!" she shouted. "And if you won't I'll make sure you say it by force." She ended in a growl of sorts.

"You're just a Heartless-" Riku started.

"You think _I_, the great Yuki Akiyama, are one of _those_ beasts?" she asked, laughing cruelly.

"Yuki," Leon said sternly.

"Tch, fine," Yuki said bregudgingly, taking another sip of tea. "Needs more sugar."

While Yuki went to put another three spoonfuls of sugar in, Leon turned to Riku.

"So what's the deal with Shade?" he asked.

"It's hard to explain..." Riku sighed.

"She's like Sephiroth," Cloud said emotionlessly. He looked at Riku. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She's different, like I said it's hard to explain!" Riku protested.

"People like Sephiroth are all the same," Cloud growled.

Riku gripped his cup tighter.

"Oh, so because I'm the dark part of Kaede's heart I am therefore 'cold and ruthless and have no sympathy for anyone but myself'?" Yuki said, making finger motions as she did so before turning to Cloud with a Chesire Cat smile. "That is...if Sephiroth is the darkness in your heart...Cloud."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Cloud shouted walking up to Yuki and glaring at her.

Yuki only looked back at him with mild interest.

"That was easy," was all she said.

"Cloud, don't let Yuki get to you," Leon said calmly. "And Yuki, don't wind people up, we let you in here, but if you're unruly you'll be kicked out."

Yuki glared at him while she sipped her tea again, flapping her wings angrily, which Riku admitted looked kind of cute, despite the fact she was angry.

"Fine I'll play be your rules," she complied as she cast her eyes on Riku. "So...that bitch is half Heartless, right?"

"If by 'that bitch' you mean Shade, then yes, she is," Riku replied calmly.

"I knew she was bad news," Cloud muttered.

Riku rolled his eyes and continued. "The thing is I don't think she is aware of it. It seems she has...dissociative identity disorder..." Leon's eyebrows raised a little. "Or at the very least some form of split personality...and it involves Xehanort. That's all I know."

Leon put a hand to his head and sighed. Things just got a whole lot more complicated. He put his empty cup down on the kitchen table, sighed again and looked at Riku.

"If she has a personality disorder, then how do you know all this?"

"We were in Neverland and, long story short, I had to flare my darkness and it triggered something inside Shade's heart and mind. Her alter took control and attacked us. We managed to knock her out and then I brought her here."

Leon was nodding as he said this. While he didn't know much about MPD or DID, he knew enough to know that whatever Shade was involved in, it had left a deep scar.

"She doesn't know does she?" he asked.

Riku shook his head. "No I thought it best not-"

"CLOUD! LEON!" Tifa screamed from outside.

The two men ran out of the room to see what all the fuss was about. Riku looked at Yuki. She stared back at him.

"What?"

"Aren't gonna help too?" Riku asked.

"Nah, it's more entertaining if I watch. I'll join if Kaede looks in trouble," she said sweetly.

Riku shook his head and ran outside.

XXX

Outside Riku saw what was going on. He found it. Outside the house the girls, Cid and Merlin were all bound in electrical coils. Stood in front of them was a man in a black coat. One of his eyes glowed electronic red from under his hood. And he was holding Shade, who was also bound in the same coils, by the scruff of the neck. She was struggling.

"Lemme go you jerk!" Shade shouted.

"Ah so you've have finally arrived," the man said with a proud voice when he noticed Riku.

"Who the hell are you?!" Riku shouted, summoning his Keyblade.

"My name is Tesla," the man replied. "Now then, let's cut to the chase. Master Xehanort wants you to run an errand for him."

"...What kind of errand?" Riku growled.

"Oh an interesting one, hahaha. It involves sending you guys..." Tesla opened a dark corridor. "Through here!"

He threw Shade into the bluey-black portal with a cackle.

"Dammit, no!" Riku shouted, jumping in after her.


	27. The Realm of Darkness Prt 1- Scar

**Author's Note:** So if you already guessed where Riku and Shade were thrown to, then well done, you get this non-existent cookie :3 Everyone loves cookies.

Now then, there is a bit of Riku and Shade fluff, though nothing major, although the most perceptive of you will have seen this coming :P

Also, because I now have a laptop, I can write more frequently, ergo (Oooh fancy word) I can update more often.

So enjoy the first chapter of the Realm of Darkness arc.

* * *

Shade landed on the ground with a large thud, her electrical constraints snapping in the process. She turned over on to her back, only to have Riku land on top of her, his face landing in an awkward place.

He gave out a muffled groan.

"Um...Riku?" Shade said, trying to figure out how to put it. "Your head's...kind of in my umm..."

Riku lifted his head and immediately threw himself backwards before bowing apologetically and frantically.

"I'm sorry! I ahh..." Riku stammered.

"Riku..."

"...What?"

"Your nose is bleeding. Pervert"

Riku looked away and wiped his nose, blushing all the way. Shade laughed a little before standing up. The first thing she noticed was the dim light. She took a step forward, her feet crunching on the white ground. She looked at Riku as he stood up.

"Where are we?" she asked him nervously.

Riku looked around, a feeling of dread manifesting in the pit of his stomach. He recognised this place. The white ground, the black stone, the dead trees and the ominously dim light. His thoughts immediately went Shade and if she went berserk again, although looking at her, she seemed unaffected.

"I think..." he said, looking around vigilantly. "I think that man trapped us in the Realm of Darkness."

Shade's eyes widened in shock.

"That..."

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Dark Meridian-_

"...bit rich coming from you," Aqua said as she watched the moonlit shoreline.

"_I can't help it, I don't like people,_" her Voice protested.

Aqua sighed. It was these parts of the day that went by the slowest, not that time really flowed properly in this realm. She spent most of it fighting Heartless near the Dark Meridian to protect the man she called her Ojisan or speaking with the nameless voice that lived in her head whilst, ironically, trying to convince herself that she wasn't insane.

And to be honest, the Voice did make for an interesting conversation. They had once spent the day talking about the pros and cons of Christianity, although she couldn't remember how that had started. Or how it had ended for that matter. Her memory was fuzzy at the best of times.

"So what is it about people that you don't like?" she asked the Voice finally.

"_Because they keep on going places they shouldn't!_"

Aqua wondered what it meant by this, until she sensed something new in the deeper parts of the Realm.

"People!" she whispered, full of joy. She stood up and summoned Master Keeper. "Ojisan, I'm going on a trip."

"That is fine, Aqua," the man on a nearby rock said his deep, calm voice. "You do what you have to."

Aqua nodded and dashed off to find the source of the presence, laughing happily all the way.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Midnight Canyon-_

Shade and Riku had walked through the Realm of Darkness for what felt like hours. While Riku was used to this, Shade wasn't. Everywhere looked the same and the same was everywhere and her leg muscles were beginning to seize up. She thought back to her dream. She hadn't even told Riku about it, or that she had remembered bits and pieces of her past. She looked at Riku his face, although calm, was looking in every direction possible to make sure they didn't come to harm.

Then again, a ten minute break can't hurt.

"Rikuuuu," she whined. "My feet and legs hurt!"

"We can't stop," Riku said, continuing onwards. "We might get swarmed by Heartless, and they're much stronger here."

Shade stopped.

"But we've been walking for hours! Can we please take a break?"

Riku turned to her. She was pouting childishly.

"You know, being annoying doesn't look right with you."

Shade giggled. "So we can then?"

"Fine," he sighed in reply. "But not for long."

"Haha one-nil to the girls," Shade said playfully.

Riku smiled and sat down on a rock at the base of the canyon wall. Shade slouched next to him on the floor. She looked at the ground sadly.

"What's up?" Riku asked when he saw her.

"Riku..."

"Yeah?"

"What if...in my past...I was a bad person?"

"What makes you say that?"

Shade thought about what to say. After a long pause she spoke.

"This'll sound strange but...when I was knocked out I had a dream...I think it was a dream anyway..." She paused again then sighed. "Anyway in that dream I saw flashes of images...Loads of people murdered in front of me, people I killed!"

"Hang on," Riku said, putting a hand on Shade's shoulder. "It might have been your imagination."

"It wasn't though!" Shade shouted in hysterics. "It was real, I know it was real! And there was this bald old man and he...he had me hooked up to this machine with a pipe that went right inside my heart, and don't tell me it wasn't real, 'cause I felt it! I _felt_ that machine pump something into my heart!"

Riku stared at the panicking girl. He thought of what to do when Shade spoke again.

"I know..." she said through her shaky breaths. "Can you check for me?"

"What?!" Riku asked, more than a little shocked by this.

"I want you to see if there's a scar there," Shade explained, unzipping her coat halfway down.

"Ahhh...you don't wear anything under that?!" Riku asked, even more shocked.

"It's, like, 30 odd degrees in Twilight Town in the summer, this is the only sleeveless thing I own! Now are you gonna look for that scar or not?!"

"B-but it'll be on your...your boob!"

"And?! You're a guy aren't you, man up about these things!"

Riku, seeing he had no choice, slowly and with as much dignity as he could muster, slowly moved the unzipped part of her coat aside to take a look. He felt blood trickle down his nose.

"Pervert," Shade muttered.

Ignoring Shade's comment, he looked. Sure enough, going diagonally across the top of her left breast was a wide, white scar that seemed to have folded in on itself. It was gruesome to look at and Riku, for all the embarrassment that had gone on during the last five minutes, couldn't imagine of what torture Xehanort had put her through. The words of Shade's alter echoed through his mind.

_"He made me what I am. He took my heart and poured darkness inside it for the production of the __blade. But he could never get enough in. Do have any idea how painful that was?"_

He covered her chest up again and zipped her coat up. Shade looked at Riku. His eyes were solemn.

"Well?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"There's a scar there," he said, those words still on repeat. "A nasty looking one."

Shade put a hand to her heart. The was no sound, except for the haunting melody of the dark realm's wind.

"So then it...happened?" Shade said slowly, trying to take it all in. "And the dead people, that...massacre...did I do that too?"

"I don't know," was all Riku could say.

"If that's my past then I..." Shade sobbed. "I..."

Suddenly, for reasons he couldn't explain, Riku held Shade as she sobbed.

"I know it's scary Shade," he said soothingly and softly. "but...even if you did that, even if you killed all those people, you must have had your reasons. And it pales in comparison to what made that scar. But I'll tell you this, and listen it with all your being, heart, mind...subconscious..." He held her closer. "We will face it together. You got that? I won't let you face it on your own."

Shade stopped sobbing. She listened to Riku's gentle heartbeat as he stroked her hair softly. She opened her mouth, but the words that came out were wrong. Like they were someone else's.

"Do you promise?" she said in a darker voice than usual.

"With all my heart," Riku replied.

Unbeknownst to them, the two Keyblade wielders were being watched. A horde of Heartless had appeared on top of the canyon walls, staring at the boy who fought the darkness and the broken girl.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Two Giants-_

Aqua stood balanced atop the peak of one of the glowing blue and black spires that were the landmarks in this particular valley. Her eyes were closed as she pinpointed where the new presence was.

"Five kilometers, northeast, Midnight Canyon," she said to herself. "And a lot of Heartless."

She acrobatically jumped off the spire, landing gracefully on the ground below and took off.

"_Well...I think we might have found the source of the darkness spike we sensed earlier,_" her voice noted.

"Would it kill you to be quiet?!" she yelled angrily.

The voice didn't answer


	28. The Realm of Darkness Prt 2- Aqua

**Author's Notes:**For all of those who haven't guessed, Aqua will be OOC (and let's be fair, wouldn't you if you had been stuck, on your own in the Heartless realm for near fourteen years?). The good news is, it's not constant and happens mostly when she fights and sometimes when she is stressed. However, her madness varies from going off on tangents in conversation (shown here) and the occasional mad giggling (also shown here) to full blown aggression (not shown here).

If you have any problems, I will listen to them and try and work out a solution, but in short terms, due to 14 years alone, fighting Heartless and constant exposure to the purest of darkness, Aqua has psychosis.

* * *

_Realm of Darkness -Midnight Canyon-_

Riku let go of Shade and looked at her. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was slightly puffy. But she seemed to have calmed down. She moved her red fringe out of her face, breathing more normal now. When she caught Riku's face she looked away.

"Sorry..." she quietly said.

"It's alright."

"No it's not, I shouldn't have forced you to do that..."

"It doesn't matter," Riku reassured, put a hand on her shoulder. "And I meant what I said. I'll help you face your past."

Shade looked at Riku again. His smile was enough to make her feel better. But something was off. She felt something new. Something she had never sensed before. And it was coming the tops of the canyon walls. Nervously, she looked up.

Crawling on top and across the canyon walls were hundreds of swarms of Shadows, Neoshadows and Darkballs.

"Riku..." she said, standing and summoning her Keyblade. "I think we have a problem."

Riku looked up and saw what she meant. All of a sudden the stench of darkness overwhelmed him. He collapsed to the ground, coughing and spluttering. Shade alternated her gaze from Riku to the Heartless.

"Darkness...is to...much..." Riku coughed before passing out.

'_Shit..." _Shade thought. "_I can't fight this many Heartless!_" She watched as the Heartless crawled and jumped down the wall. She prepared herself.

"_But I've got to try!_"

With determination to protect her teacher, Shade ran into the Heartless onslaught.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Lost Jungle-_

Aqua had made it three quarters of the way to the presence. It helped that she practically new the ins and outs of the Realm of Darkness. She had made it to the jungle. For a jungle it wasn't very jungley. It was mainly scarred black rock with dead trees and rocky outcrops. It was enough to scare any normal people away, but then Aqua wasn't a normal person. The jungle was fully of Heartless that Ojisan referred to as 'Emblems'. Apparently they were created by people as an experiment. Aqua wondered why anyone would want to create the monsters that inhabited this realm artificially, but then she didn't really care.

She tried to think back to before she wound up in the Realm of Darkness. The only prominent memory was the memory of the old man who ruined her life- Master Xehanort. He was the reason she was trapped here, she could remember that much. Even if all her memories faded, she would remember that for eternity.

Aqua cut down a few monkey-like Heartless that got in her way. She was nearing the entrance to the canyon. She smiled at the prospect of people, only for it to fade when she saw the amounts of Pureblood Heartless that stood in her way. She stopped abruptly.

"No..." she whispered to herself. "Not now, not when I'm so...so close to being...free, I...have to do something...huh?"

At the centre of the canyon, driving back as many Heartless as they could, was, although faint a human figure. Aqua smiled to herself again. This was what she had dreamt about for years.

With a roar, and Master Keeper emitting a radiant warm glow, Aqua shot down the canyon trail, tearing apart any Heartless that got in her way.

She reached the figure relatively easily. Aqua could see now that the figure was teenage girl around her mid teens with pitch black hair with a red fringe. Next to her was an older teenage boy with silvery-blue. He was unconscious. The girl was fending off several Heartless at once, using a mix of magic and darkness. But she looked considerably weakened.

Aqua jumped and landed next to the girl.

"Hey," she said whilst taking out a few Neoshadows.

"What the...? There's a...person here?" the girl panted.

"Don't worry I'll help you fight these Heartless," Aqua said cheerfully before speaking incredibly quickly. "Have you noticed how black Heartless are? I don't really like the colour black, it's plain and boring...Ooh your hair's black, it's pretty."

"Umm...are you ok?" the girl asked her.

Aqua's eyes widened as she realised what had happened. She shook her head and smacked it a few times for good measure.

"Gotta stop doing that," she muttered to herself swiping at a nearby Darkball.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Midnight Canyon-_

(**Finale- Halo 3 ODST soundtrack from 1.13 to 4.53 **('cause thats the good bit)) The blue-haired woman with the Keyblade immediately set about taking out the Heartless with complex combinations of magic. Shade, tapping in to power that she had discovered quite by accident only a ten minutes ago, set about blasting the nearby Heartless with Dark Firaga and Blizzard Shot before running up to them and slashing them with the teeth of Midnight Fury.

She couldn't place her finger on why but her natural strength seemed to have increased. She didn't complain though and was thankful for it.

The blue-haired woman was skilful in magic, as well as the Keyblade, although Shade could see that something was very wrong with her mental state. One example was that when she managed to kill group of Heartless in one strike she would laugh manically before muttering frantically and incoherently, while simultaneously fighting more Heartless. Shade would have to ask her about it later. How she would do so without accidentally insulting her was still a work in progress.

Nevertheless, she was thankful for the blue-haired woman's help and abilities and soon they had cleared out nearly all the swarms of Heartless, with only a few stragglers left.

"Hehehe...you know could just let the girl take them out," the blue-haired woman giggled to herself. "But that would be stupid..._why should we save them?!_" The woman started cackling, scaring the nearby Shade. "Hahaha fine, I'll do it your way." She turned to Shade. "Stand back."

Shade, still uneasy of her, obliged.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Midnight Canyon-_

Aqua's keyblade glowed. Swinging it upwards, she summoned a giant fireball.

"Firaga burst!" she yelled, sending fireballs at the remaining Heartless.

(**End Finale**)

Breathing heavily, having exhausted most of her power, Aqua sat down on the ground. She looked at the girl, she wasn't moving near her, instead she was stood in front of the unconscious boy.

"You can come near me you know, I won't..." she started, before understanding why. "Oh that...sorry...I don't mean to, it just happens...mostly when I'm fighting Heartless...sorry if I scared you...it just...happens."

To prove her point, she banished Master Keeper. The girl relaxed her Keyblade, understanding what Aqua had said.

"It's ok," she said. "We needed help anyway, so I guess you're better than nothing."

The girl moved to the side and looked at the boy.

"My Master, he's out cold," she explained sadly. "Do you know a safe place here? I know it's not likely but..."

"Actually I do," Aqua replied, standing up and walking over to them both. "Its five kilometres southwest of here, it's like my base of sorts. It's...home in a sense."

The other girl nodded and bent down to pick the boy up. Aqua helped as well and eventually the two girls had the boy strung between them, one arm over their shoulders. Together, they started walking.

"I'm Shade by the way," the girl introduced.

"Aqua," Aqua replied. "Master Aqua."

Shade nodded in understanding.

"Nice to meet you, Master Aqua."


	29. Realm of Darkness Prt 3- Meridian

**Author's note:** So yeah you've seen how much Aqua has changed. And it seems you don't mind, or at the very least understand why.

**Aqua: Well they'd better get used to it! I got used to the...the umm...**

Realm of Darkness?

**Aqua: Yeah that's it! It's very dark there, suits the name. You have a nice name did I mention that? *Giggles***

No you didn't, now how 'bout that disclaimer? Since I always forget to put them on the chapters.

**Aqua: Sure. The following is a...non-profit fan-based work...Oooh like the wind thing? No? Umm...Shadowclaw98 does not own any Kingdom Hearts/ Final Fantasy or Disney...I gotta watch the Lion King again...**

*Ahem*

**Aqua: Sorry...Shadow does not own any characters featured in the games or Disney characters or music used. He does however own Shade and the other OCs as well as the plot. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and the Disney worlds are owned by Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company respectively. Please support the official releases.**

* * *

_Realm of Darkness -Two Giants-_

Aqua and Shade had managed to traverse the Realm of Darkness in a relatively short amount of time. Riku was still unconscious and being support/dragged along between them. The area they were in was also a canyon, though the terrain was a bit more varied, featuring small hills, dead trees, purple grass and a river, which the two girls were walking Riku through.

"So...how old are you? Out of interest?" Aqua asked, starting up conversation.

"Fifteen," the blacked-haired girl replied. "What about you?"

"Oh I'm...I'm..." Aqua started. "Ah...it's on the tip of my tongue..."

"_Oh come on!_" her voice said, a mix between sarcasm and anger. "_It's only a number, haha._"

"Shut up!" Aqua shouted, stopping abruptly and holding her head in her free hand. "Just shut up!"

"Aqua?" Shade asked calmly. Aqua ignored her, gritting her teeth in anger. Shade spoke a bit louder. "Aqua?"

"Huh?" Aqua asked, snapping out of it. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

Shade looked at her blue-haired companion. "Is something wrong?"

Aqua sighed and continued to walk.

"I was training to be a Keyblade Master under...I can't remember his name," she said softly. "But part of that training was medical training, both for physical and mental...I've spent over twelve years here. I have a psychosis..."

"Psychosis?"

"It's mental disorder, kind of like a nice version of schizophrenia, not that you can call it 'nice'." Aqua laughed to herself. "I hear a voice that no one else can, sometimes it keeps me company, other times it's harsh. I sometimes struggle with sentences...you know when I stammer or forget what the words are?" Shade nodded in response. "That's part of it, my concentration is lacking, I'm nearly always paranoid and my thoughts are constantly racing...that's what that quick speaking and giggling was about earlier and I have gaps in my memory. I have figured out a way to control it myself, but...it doesn't work all the time..."

Shade looked at Aqua. She was shocked at the length of time the girl had spent here, and was genuinely surprised that she hadn't ended up a raving lunatic or worse. Aqua looked up at the giant spire they were walking to.

"This area is part of my territory," she noted absentmindedly.

"You have a territory?" Shade asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aqua nodded. "From Midnight Canyon, that's where I found you, to the Dark Meridian is my turf. Took me months to make it that way. I tend to wander around here for food or just to kill things. This area is called Two Giants because of these spires." She pointed to the spire in front of them, then the spire a kilometre behind them. She stared at the nearest one again. "They're very pretty...reminds me a bit of my home, the Land of Departure."

Shade looked down. At least Aqua could remember her home world, which was more than could be said for herself. She watched the river flowing and slosh around her feet.

"I read somewhere that rivers are carnivorous in demon worlds."

"This isn't a demon world," Aqua explained. "What you have got to remember is that Heartless were once human. It's not their fault that they hunger for hearts...it's just their instinct. Poor lost souls..." she started giggling again. "Dead. Souls."

Shade watched her giggle uncontrollably again . She didn't understand much about schizophrenia, let alone psychosis, but she could see that Aqua needed to get help. She wondered how she got here.

"Aqua...You wield a Keyblade don't you?" she asked.

Aqua summoned Master Keeper in response. Shade continued.

"Well there's a war coming...a...Keyblade War." Aqua looked at Shade slightly, her eyes slightly wild. Shade tried to look at her but found she couldn't. She continued anyway. "I was wondering, would you help us fight it? We'll get you help along the way and-"

"Who is the man starting it?" Aqua growled.

"I...I don't know his..."

"WHO IS IT?!"

"I...I think it's Xehanort...or something like that..." Shade stammered.

Aqua's wild eyes looked deep into her. Slowly she started to cackle manically.

"Oh, consider me there," she laughed.

Shade looked away as Aqua calmed down. Then something caught the corner of her eye. At the edge of the river was a small group of Shadows. Shade leaned over to Aqua.

"We're being followed," she whispered.

Aqua was busy looking around the hill to their left. Shade sweatdropped.

"Aqua?"

Aqua heard this and looked at her, confused.

"Yeah?"

"We're being followed," Shade repeated, nodded to the nearby Shadows.

"Relax, they won't hurt you, not while I'm here," Aqua reassured with a smile.

"It's not that..." Shade whispered, mostly to herself.

She looked back at the Heartless. She wasn't sure of it, but she could swear that they were watching _her_.

Soon the two girls came across a narrow gap in the canyon wall. Aqua nodded to it.

"Vortex is through here, we just need to go through here and we'll be at the Dark Meridian."

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Vortex-_

Vortex was a large plateau with several rocks jutting out of it, including a large chunk of granite in the centre that was several metres wide as it was high. The ground was made up of purple, scarred rock and the light was dimmer than usual due to the cloud cover. The was a gentle wind blowing.

Shade could see a path at the other side of the plateau.

"I assume that's where we're going?" she asked, point to the path that led into a dark fog.

Aqua nodded, already walking at a quicker pace. It was then that Riku began to stir.

"Ow..." he groaned.

"Riku?" gasped Shade.

He looked up at her.

"Hey..." he said weakly.

"You're alright!" she shouted as she hugged him.

"Ah...can't...breathe..." Riku gasped.

"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly, letting go. "Oh Riku! I can use magic now! I don't why but I can!"

Shade grinned making Riku smile. He looked at the area and noticed he had moved.

"Did you drag me all the way here?" he asked.

"I had help," she giggled back, pointing at Aqua.

Riku looked at the other girl. She was muttering to herself. His eyes narrowed, then widened as he realised who she was.

"You're Master Aqua!" he exclaimed.

"Huh? You know who I am?" she asked, becoming aware quicker than usual.

"Master Yen Sid told me about you!" he explained.

"Yen Sid...Yen Sid..." she repeated. Then she started speaking to herself. "Do I know a Yen Sid...You're right it is familiar...well, you could be more helpful!"

Riku looked from Aqua to his apprentice.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"I'll explain later," she replied. "Aqua?"

Aqua's head snapped around when her name was called.

"Should we get going then? We're almost there."

"Oh...oh! Oh yeah, c'mon, you can walk can't you...umm...?"

"Riku," he said. "And I should be ok."

Aqua nodded and together the trio headed for the fog covered pathway.

XXX

_Realm of Darkness -Dark Meridian-_

The Dark Meridian was supposedly the place where the Realm of Darkness ends and the Realm of Inbetween began. Riku had seen this place before, after the fight against Xemnas alongside Sora. The ocean's ebb and flow drift quietly up and down the beach under the pitch-black moonlit sky.

The path from Vortex winded between the rocks that gave way to the beach and was well hidden. If they hadn't been following Aqua through the fog and then between the rocks, then Shade and himself would have been lost to darkness.

Something Riku didn't want happening again.

And so Shade, Riku and Aqua were alone on the beach with no one else except Aqua's 'Ojisan', who hadn't said a word since they arrived. Riku wondered who was underneath the black coat.

"…and so that's basically why she's…a bit off," Shade finished explaining to Riku.

"Poor girl…" Riku said sympathetically, watching Aqua. "It's no surprise she's like that to be honest."

Aqua was further down the beach, near Ojisan, she was on her hands and knees crawling after something, probably another hallucination. She kept on pouncing on the sand like a kitten, only to 'see' the thing she was chasing scuttle off.

Then she noticed Riku and Shade watching her and looked away, muttering to herself about letting her mind fool her as much as it did. She stood up and walked up to them, her armoured shoes crunching on the sand.

"So when are we leaving?" she asked cheerfully.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked seriously.

"You do have a way out right?"

"Sorry…we're stuck here too," Shade explained sadly.

Aqua's face faltered.

"No…" she whispered. "That…that can't be right…you came to save me…" her voice slowly changed to one of fury. "No…no no nononononono…._DAMN IT!_ I did not save you two just to found out I was still_ trapped here!"_

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and prepared to attack them. Riku and Shade summoned theirs.

"Aqua!" Ojisan shouted from his rock. Aqua's face softened slightly. "It is not their fault. Do not blame them for something that can't be helped."

Aqua looked at her Keyblade, realising what she was about to do. She let it drop and disappear. Quietly, she began to sob.

"I'm sorry, Ojisan…I don't want to be here anymore…! I want to leave and get better…"

Shade lowered her blade and cautiously walked up to the crying Master. Riku, after some thought, did the same.

Suddenly a dark corridor opened nearby. A tall tanned man with long silver hair stepped out.

"Found you Shade," he said calmly and emotionlessly.

Shade was taken aback by this. Riku recognised the man as did, it would seem, Aqua.

"You!" she hissed. "You ruined my life, Xehanort!"

"That's not Xehanort, Aqua," Riku explained. "That's his Heartless!"

"Correct, Riku. I am Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. And you have something that belongs to us." He pointed one his gloved fingers at Shade. "Give me the girl."

"Never!" Riku yelled with determination.

"Have it your way," Ansem snarled, summoning his Guardian. "I shall take her by force!"

However, before he could attack a small group of Shadows, backed up by Neoshadows, came out of nowhere and literally body slammed Ansem.

"The Heartless are…attacking Ansem?" Riku blinked.

"I know those Heartless…" Shade said. "Those are the ones from Two Giants, they must've followed me here!"

Confused, but thankful at this new turn of events, the trio readied themselves to go on the offensive. But they were stopped by a Neoshadow.

"Move it!" Riku growled.

"Hang on, Riku," Shade said calmly. She looked at the Heartless. "You want to help us don't you?"

The Heartless seemed to nod and opened up a dark corridor. It pointed one of its claws at it.

"You want us to go through it?" Shade asked.

Again the Heartless nodded.

"Well I'm not saying no," Shade said happily. "What about you guys?"

Riku looked at Ansem. He seemed to be having trouble with his traitors. Riku shrugged and ran towards the corridor, followed by Shade. Aqua took a step forward before turning to Ojisan.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Do not worry about me, Aqua," he replied gently. "The worlds need you more than they need me."

Upset, but still understanding, Aqua ran through the dark portal.

'_I've done it_' she thought happily.


	30. Fight for Hollow Bastion

**Author's Note:** Wondering why the Heartless helped Shade in _Meridian_? Well tough, I'm not going to tell you :P

**Yuffie:** That's not nice!

**Leon:** He's not getting paid to spill all the story in one go

I'm not getting paid anyway! If anything I'm making a loss here paying you!

**Yuffie: **You pay us in cookies and Monster energy drinks! How is that a loss?

*Sigh* Leon?

**Leon:** *Opens mouth*

**Yuffie:** This a fanfiction of the official release, support Tetsuya Nomura! :D

Thanks...

* * *

_Hollow Bastion -Borough-_

The dark corridor opened up in the familiar cobbled streets of Hollow Bastion, right outside where Tesla had thrown them in the Realm of Darkness. But something was off. Most of the houses were destroyed and there was blood splattered across the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" Aqua asked in shock recognising the world she had ended up in. "This is...This is..." She held her head in her left hand, sifting through the slush of memories. "Radiant Garden!" She said finally.

"Yeah but...something's not right..." Riku said slowly.

"Where is everyone?" Shade asked, hiding her nervousness.

They heard the clang of metal further down the street. All three of them instinctively got into their battle stances. With a struggle and a small collapse, Leon stumbled around the corner, resting on his Revolver. He was followed by a Red Nocturne.

"Oooh, a squiggly wiggly!" Aqua giggled. Several more Red Nocturnes appeared alongside some Blue Rhapsodies, all of which started pelting Leon with fire and ice. "Bad squiggly wigglies!"

Aqua cast a large Thunder spell on them, killing them all in one hit. She giggled again as she watched the hearts flying out of them into the sky. Riku and Shade ran up to Leon. He had a huge gash down has left cheek.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he shouted as they picked him up.

"How long have we been gone?" Riku asked as Leon stumbled over a little. "And what's happening?"

"A week at least," Leon breathed. "That Tesla...activated the Heartless Manufactory and it's been pumping...Heartless out known stop and.." He noticed Aqua staring off into space. "Who's she?"

Riku looked at Aqua. Her head was following something, as she was looking around quickly and in random directions. She was giggling happily. Then as she reached out to touch the hallucination, Aqua's face turned to one of fear. She pointed at her Keyblade at 'it' and shot a fireball at it, only for it to smash into a broken wooden beam, letting it sizzle nicely. Aqua seemed to have broken out of the trance she was in as she was muttering bitterly again. Shade had ran over to her to comfort her.

"That's Aqua," Riku said helping Leon stand. "She was...well let's just say she's had a rough last twelve years"

"I see...think she can help?"

"I haven't seen her in action myself, but Shade says she's pretty good in a fight," Riku replied.

"That'll have to do...all of us and some of the remaining citizens are in the Maw hiding. We've been trying to launch surprise attacks on the Lab but...there's too many Heartless!" He stumbled again. "I won't lose this world again!" He punched the ground in frustration as he said this.

By this time Aqua had calmed down and was focused enough to try and help. She and Shade walked over to Leon and Aqua cast Curaga on him. His gash healed immediately. Leon thanked Aqua and then moved over to look at the world she once knew as Radiant Garden.

"How much has happened in the last thirteen and a half years?" she asked, turning to look at Riku.

"I'll get to that in a bit," he replied. "Right now, we have to shut down that Heartless Manufactory." He sat Leon against a nearby house. "Will you be ok here?" Leon nodded. Riku turned to Aqua and Shade. "Right, let's get to that castle!"

The two girls nodded with determination and together they set off for the Postern.

It wasn't long before the group encountered several Heartless; Bookmasters, Armoured Knights and Crimson Jazz. The Bookmasters set upon Aqua, viciously shooting at her with Thunder and Fire spells. Aqua, in retaliation, used her Lightbloom shotlock, spinning gracefully on the spot firing beams of light at the Heartless. When they vanished she smiled to herself and giggled, considerably less manically the usual. She noticed some Surveillance Robots appear behind Shade and jumped to take them out.

Meanwhile, Shade was focusing on the giant Crimson Jazz Heartless that had surrounded her. She took time to dodge the large fire bombs that they fired at her, before unleashing a flurry of quick stabs at the Heartless (she had remember that part of her fighting style before her amnesia involved quick jabs and long sweeping slashes) and blasted them with Blizzard Shot. Riku landed next to her, taking out an Armoured Knight in the process.

"When did learn magic?" he asked her.

"I remembered," she replied simply, launching a Dark Firaga at a Surveillance Robot in Aqua's blind spot.

"Thanks," Aqua said as she cast Cura on everyone.

'_She can use darkness again?_' he thought. '_I've got to keep an eye on that...'_

Riku concentrated on using Rising Sun to take out a cluster of Armoured Knights. He was having fun with these Heartless more than any other that he'd fought before. They were relatively weak, like Shadows, but unlike Shadows, Armoured Knights didn't have the annoying tendency to literally _become_ shadows by sinking into the ground. He blocked and countered one Knight, disposing of it, and followed up by switching his grip on the Keyblade and stabbed one behind him, chuckling as he did so.

He looked at Shade and Aqua. Watching the two girls fight was like watching ballet. The way they struck and moved their bodies was so graceful it could put the aerial acrobatics of birds to shame.

And he enjoyed fighting alongside them. Shade was picking a lot of things up quicker than most would, and Aqua, although completely detached from reality most times, was actually quite the fighter when she was focused.

Within minutes they had dispatched the waves of Heatless and were working their way up the Restoration Site. It had fallen into disrepair with large boulders and rocks making the path difficult to traverse, and that wasn't helped by the Morning Stars that kept appearing.

"Jesus Christ, we need to find a way around these guys!" Aqua shouted, frustrated.

"Hang on!" Shade said, taking out a few Morning Stars. "I remember something that I could do, just wait a minute..."

She closed her eyes and held out her free hand. In her mind she pictured the Heartless turning into petals of darkness. She opened her amber eye.

"Shadow Splitter," she whispered, clenching her fist.

The Heartless shattered into thousands of dark petals. Shade opened her blue eye and laughed happily.

"Yay!" she squealed. "I did it! I remembered how to do it!"

Riku and Aqua stared her at her in disbelief.

She was getting stronger.

"C'mon, we've got to get moving!" Riku ordered.

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Ansem's Study-_

The journey to Ansem's Study turned out to be easier than Aqua thought. She thought it was probably down to the fact this 'Tesla' person thought that no one would get close to the lab, so it wouldn't need guards. She also thought about how relatively sane she had been in the past twenty or so minutes, but then she wasn't that surprised. She _wanted_ to help them and she was currently fighting back the symptoms, something her voice wasn't happy about.

"_Come on, just one little stab?_" it whined. "_Please?_"

"No!" she hissed under her breath. "They're my friends!"

"_And soon you'll forget about them, just like you did with...oh, what were their names?_"

The voice cackled at its own cruelty. Aqua's face fell.

What if it was right? She had almost forgotten completely about her original two friends, what was stopping her from forgetting Riku and Shade? She repeated her two lost friends names.

"Terra and Ven, Terra and Ven, Terra and Ven, Ter..."

She felt her words faulter. It had happened again. The voice always blocked their names when she tried to remember them. It was cruel like that.

She tried again.

"Ter...ra and...umm...Ven...Terra and...Ven..." she repeated, unknowingly getting the attention of the others. "umm...what was I saying again?" She panicked a little.

"...Aqua!" she heard Riku shout.

She looked at him with panicking eyes.

"I can't remember them!" she said shakily, her eyes welling up. "Every time I try to...my voice keeps blocking the memories of them!"

"Hey don't worry," Shade said softly, coming up beside her and hugging her. "Umm...I know if you can try to find their names, just this once, we'll remember them for you."

Shade smiled at Aqua. Aqua nodded, taking shaky breaths. She tried to sift through her memories once more. Riku watched on, keeping an eye out for Heartless.

"There's a man...he's my age...has brown...spiky hair..." She strained, through the headache she was getting. "Wears...a...brown sleeveless shirt...hakama pants...and has a piece of armour on his left shoulder..." Aqua's eyes lit up. "Terra! That's his name!"

"Good, you're doing good, Aqua," Shade encouraged. "What about the other?"

"Can't...I can't do it..." Aqua breathed out, the headache becoming too much for her. "I can't...go through my memories _and_ fighting myself!"

"Come on, Aqua, just one more!" Shade encouraged.

"Ok...The other boy...he's fourteen...has blonde spiky...almost windswept hair...Bright blue eyes...a white and black jacket...black shirt, with...greeny-grey armour underneath and on his left shoulder...and black, grey and...white pants...Ven...that's who he is..."

"Terra and Ven, got it!" Shade said enthusiastically.

Aqua stumbled and was caught by Shade.

"My head hurts..." Aqua said quietly.

"It's ok," Shade said softly. "We'll remember them for you."

"Thanks..."

Riku put a hand on Aqua's shoulder in comfort.

"When we're done here, we'll get Aerith to take a look at you," he said.

Aqua nodded then straightened up and smiled. "Now then, let's go turn off that machine."

Riku and Shade nodded and three went off into the computer room. Riku cautiously entered first, followed by Shade and Aqua bringing up the rear. All of them had their Keyblades bared. The computer room overlooked a cathedral-sized machine. Spawning at the base were swarms of Heartless.

Riku took a look at the glowing console. The computer was locked. Having no other choice, he slammed the teeth of Way to the Dawn down on the computer, causing it to smoke and spark.

"You really think that'll work?" Shade said dryly.

Much to her surprise, the Heartless spawner stopped working. Satisfied, Riku turned to Shade and smiled.

"Always works in the films," he said.

"Well done," came a proud voice from the doorway.

The three Keyblade wielders pivoted to see the black-coated man, Tesla, standing in the doorway, clapping slowly. He had his hood off and for the first time they could see what he looked like. His hair was two toned and looked as though he had been electrocuted, giving him a mad scientist look. One half was blonde and the other black. He had pale skin and the right half of the top of his face was completely metal- this was the side with his electronic red eye. His other eye was gold and his ears were pointed.

"I didn't expect you to get out of the Realm that quickly _and_ you found Master Aqua," he smiled madly. "That's an added bonus."

"You know, throwing girls into the Realm of Darkness isn't nice!" Shade growled earning a menacing glare from Tesla.

"You do _not_ speak to me like that, failure," he spat venomously. "I don't know how you got those Heartless to protect you from Ansem, but it won't work here!"

"Bring it on then," she challenged darkly.

"Hmph. Come to the Great Maw then." Tesla huffed, opening a dark corridor. "We shall decide the fate of this world there."

He disappear after that, leaving Riku, Shade and Aqua to think about the situation.

"Looks like we have no choice," Riku sighed. "Plus, if we take out one of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness here, we'll have less to deal with on Requiem."

"He works for Xehanort, right?" Aqua growled. Riku nodded and Aqua began to giggle."Then we should rip his heart out and leave him bleeding."

Riku and Shade watched her giggle to herself. She calmed down after a minute and sighed. "You promise this Aerith person will help me?"

"I can't promise that," Riku said truthfully. "But I can promise she will try."

Aqua nodded, satisfied with that answer. Shade walked to the door.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

She power punched the air with excitement, making Aqua giggle and Riku sigh.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So yeah, two more chapters and this arc will be done. From now on my A/N will be at the end of the chapter. Interesting fact, Tesla's look is from a character I designed called Dimitri and Shade is based on a character I drew called Lucy. Also her outfit is similar to Lightning's from FFXIII.

Please review and make any comments on what you think could be done better, they are much appreciated.


	31. The Scientist

31 The Scientist

**Tesla:** The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy is owned by Square Enix, with any Disney characters owned by The Walt Disney Company. All OCs and the plot are owned by Shadowclaw98, why did I have to read all that? I am Tesla! I will not be *goes off on a rant*

**Shadowclaw:** *Sigh*

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -The Great Maw-_

Riku, Shade and Aqua stood just north of the centre of the Maw, Keyblades bared. Tesla stood just south, wickedly. The Maw was a huge gaping hole in the middle of the indigo/blue rock. It was here that the that the first Battle of Hollow Bastion was decided, with Sora, Mickey, Donald and Goofy taking out thousands of Heartless. This battle was pretty much over. Only Riku, Shade and Aqua stood in the way of the world falling to darkness again.

Tesla was the first to speak.

"I see you've come here after all," Tesla said smugly. "You're more competent than I thought, either that, or you're just reckless." He cackled shrilly. "And you, Shade." His voice gave out a deadly turn. "I'll have fun doing to you what Ansem failed to do."

"Hmph, you wouldn't stand a chance," she retorted darkly.

Riku could tell this was her alter and Aqua had noticed something was off too. Oddly though, Shade's alter didn't seem as...uncontrollable. Riku thought back to what he said to her in the Realm of Darkness.

"_ We will face it together. You got that? I won't let you face it on your own._"

'_She must have heard me,_' he thought.

Now it was Aqua's turn to speak.

"Riku filled me in on what's happening. Master Xehanort is back and has made a group of thirteen people filled with darkness to fight seven lights, which us three are part of. My question is why did you join Xehanort?"

"That is a good question." He began to pace around the area. "I have studied Kingdom Hearts since I was a boy, my fascination of it was unparalleled. I was the first on my world to discover the existence of other worlds and thus, the origins of the Keyblade War. My work was ridiculed as the worlds are too far away from each other to be noticed, even by telescope. My other work studied the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts, the ones before humans took over the role. Did you know that the Keyblade War was fought by _two_ species, one trying to protect it and, us, the ones trying to get it?"

"That's insane," Riku said dismissively.

"See?! You see?! _That's_ what I'm talking about! People don't like hearing about all the bad things we have done! The never, _ever_ talk about the complexity of the Keyblade War! Because they can't bare that we were so greedy. That's why I joined Xehanort. When we get Kingdom Hearts I can finally show those-"

"Shadow Splitter!" Shade yelled.

Tesla was immediately knocked back by the concentrated darkness. He grasped his arm in pain and looked at the three.

"Oh! You sly girl, you got me monologing, I can't believe I fell for that!" He laughed shrilly again, causing the Keyblade bearers ears to ring. "I know that he said not...but I can't _stand_ people who insult my work!"

He summoned in his non-injured hand a black metal rod. A long stream of blue electricity shot out of it, snaking along the ground. The group entered their battle stances.

**(Pokemon B/W2: Colress battle- Pokeremixstudio)** Tesla went in the offensive, cracking the electrified whip on the ground sending electricity shooting off in Riku's direction. The three jumped, with Riku somersaulting over Tesla's head. He sent a blast of Dark Firaga at him, scoring the first hit.

Shade tried to run up to Tesla, her natural speed helping her, while being covered by Aqua's Blizzara spells. She tried to launch a flurry of stabs at his abdomen, but he caught her arm in his whip, electrifying her. He them threw her across the battlefield.

Aqua continued firing Blizzard and Fire spells at him, trying not to waste her magic. The voice was egging her on and she, for once, listened to its orders. She shot a Triple Firaga at Tesla, just as Riku had managed to get up close to him. Tesla managed to throw Riku away from him just as the Fire spell made contact.

"Ow!" he cried, angrily turn to Aqua. "You'll pay for that!"

He leaped in the air, coiling his whip around him. He electrified himself and launched himself into Aqua like a bullet. Aqua was knocked to the ground, taking heavy damage. She stood up, still sparking a little.

"You won't beat us that easily..." she coughed.

"Oh really?" he challenged. "I think I will."

As if to prove his point, he turned round and struck Shade, who was trying to charge him. She was electrocuted and promptly stopped her attack. Tesla raised his whip again. When Shade noticed this her eyes widened in fear.

"I'm sorry!" she shrieked. "Please don't! Not again! I...can't"

She curled into a ball and sobbed.

"Oh, so you remember this?" Tesla asked with a chuckle. "That just makes it sweeter."

Tesla began to brutally whip Shade's body and face, leaving bloody cuts on her face and rips in her clothes. It was here that Riku lost it. He cloaked his Keyblade in light and quick-stepped towards the cruel torturer. He managed to swipe him across the side, leaving a large gash and a huge rip in his coat. Still angry, Riku pulled off a few more combos, but Tesla jumped back and struck the whip into the ground, sending a wave of electricity towards him. Riku began running off to the side with Tesla striking the ground, sending electricity off with every crack.

Aqua meanwhile had cartwheeled over to Shade and had taken her to a safe place. When Aqua examined her, she found that she had been knocked out. She cast Curaga over her, but Shade didn't stir.

Aqua turned her eyes onto Riku. He was trying his hardest to get within close range of Tesla, but every time he was knocked back. That was when she realised.

"He can't block things that are extremely close to him..." she gasped.

"_And why?_" the Voice taunted.

"Because they're too close for the whip to strike."

"_Therefore?_

"Every time Riku tries to get close I should launch a powerful spell or shotlock!"

"_Bingo!_"

Aqua chuckled to herself and launched Lightbloom on to the Organization member just as Riku was taken out by Tesla's strength. The beams of light struck the cybernetic man, causing him extreme pain. Aqua giggled in delight.

Just like the pain Xehanort gave her.

With Tesla weakened Riku took his chance. He pulled Dark Aura, shooting around the battlefield and striking Tesla multiple times. His final strike finished him off.

**(End Colress Remix)**

Tesla fell to the ground.

"That's...not going to work..." he said weakly. "Just like Cyrus...I will be back...UNNGH!"

Master Keeper had been stabbed into his back.

"Save it." Aqua spat.

Tesla slumped on to the ground, dead.

Riku panted, getting his breath back. He ran over to Shade. She was still knocked out.

"Guess the past proved too much," he said, mostly to himself.

"What happened?" Aqua asked, worried about her new friend.

"I'll tell you on the way to Leon," Riku said, getting up with Shade on his back.

Together they walked back to the town, the sun setting on the horizon.

XXX

**Author's Note:** *Sighs* another chapter done, and my second update today. You know I'm quite content with how this is going.

Please review, but no hating or trolling.


	32. The Next Day

**Shadowclaw:** So today I have a special guest doing the disclaimer. Introducing my first friend on Fanfiction, Kh530!

**Kh530: **Yay! I'm doing the disclaimer! *Casually hits Shadow on the back of the head and runs away*

**Shadow:** Hey! Imma get on a jet and go to New York and get payback on you! *dramatic pointing*

**Kh530:** *While running away* Shadow may be a nub, but he owns nothing but the plot and his OCs! Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix!

**Shadow: **Get back _here! _*Chases after her*

* * *

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Shade stirred, rubbing the sleep from eyes. She woke up in a large and extremely comfy bed, sitting up and stretching. The first thing she noticed was she was a wearing a black short sleeved shirt with a white snake design on it, coupled with denim short shorts.

"Ok, 'cause I totally wear short shorts," she muttered to herself.

She walked to the door, but not before she noticed her reflection in a nearby full body-length mirror. Shade grimaced at the familiar purple aura her reflection gave off, however she noticed something on her right thigh, jutting out of the leg of the shorts. It was faint and looked a lot like a red and black fleur de lis. She rolled the leg up a little. The fleur de lis opened up into the Heartless emblem.

Shade opened her mouth speechless. She checked to make sure it wasn't fake. Nope. It was part of her skin, like a tattoo.

"What the hell...?" was all she could say.

She quickly shook her head, dismissing it and deciding to go find Riku. She couldn't remember much about the end of the day. She remembered getting to the Great Maw and then...nothing. The next thing she remembered was waking up in someone else's clothes.

Shade made her way downstairs and found the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee scattered around the living room. Aerith was talking to Aqua, who looked a little disheartened about something. Riku was sat on a chair, talking to Leon and Cloud.

Amaya noticed her and walked up to her, carrying Shade's clothes.

"So you're awake? That's good," she smiled. "I fixed up your clothes by the way." She handed Shade her clothes. "So many tears in them, even Kaede doesn't rip her clothes that much."

"What...happened?" Shade asked.

"I don't know, it's best you ask Riku that."

Shade nodded sadly, then went back upstairs to get changed.

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Aqua was sat on one of the sofas, listening to Aerith talk. Well, listening is a bit far, but she was trying her best. She drifted out of it for the fifth time and began watching some shadows dance along the wall before ripping each other apart. Aqua giggled.

"Aqua!" Aerith shouted.

Aqua jumped a little in her seat. She laughed sheepishly before apologising. Aerith smiled and continued.

"I'm not a psychiatrist so I don't know what will work, but I can give you a herb that relieves stress."

"It's ok..." Aqua said sadly. "I think I'm gonna go outside for a bit."

Aqua stood up and walked outside, bumping into Riku on the way. She didn't care, she just wanted to be alone. When she got outside the cold air hit her like a brick. She had been fighting off Heartless all day yesterday and hadn't really noticed it. Aqua sighed bitterly. She was angry. Angry at Xehanort, angry at Aerith and mostly angry at herself.

"_You know why she isn't helping you, right?_" the Voice cackled. "_She_ wants_ to see you suffer._"

Aqua ignored it which resulted in her getting a severe headache as punishment. And that was usual for her. The Voice kept her company in the Realm of Darkness and didn't like the fact that she had found new friends. It wasn't the Voices fault, that was just how it was- always angry. It wanted revenge against Xehanort for he did to her and, from what she thought up, wanted to forge Aqua into the perfect weapon to counteract him.

But then what? After Xehanort had been defeated what then? She had put this to the Voice before but didn't get a reply so she had decided to leave it. Aqua sighed.

"So tell me," she said, clutching her head. "After Xehanort is dead what then?"

"_What do you mean?_"

"You know what I mean!" she shouted. "That's your purpose isn't it? To kill Xehanort, that's the part of me you were made from..." She stood up, trying her hardest not to cry. "But what will you do after he is killed?"

The Voice laughed a familiar laugh that sent shivers down Aqua's spine.

"_You're my toy,_" it said in an oddly familiar voice. "_And I want to play. Hehehe, Xehanort used as a toy once, and he broke you._" The Voice was sounding more and more familiar. Aqua could feel it, _hear_ it, walking up behind her. "_Now I want to fix you. That's all I want. After all..._"

Then it hit her. She knew what who the Voice sounded like.

"_We _are _sisters,_" the Voice chuckled in an evil version of Aqua's own voice.

XXX

_Hollow Bastion -Merlin's House-_

Riku looked at the computer again. On it was a map of the nearest worlds. In the centre was a large world that Cid had as of yet not identified. Riku could tell what the world was.

"So, do you know what is?" Leon asked.

"Requiem," Riku replied. "That's where we're going to fight Xehanort's Organization. We need all the help we can get though..."

"We're in," Cloud said. "You and Sora have helped us out of a few scrapes. I figure we owe you guys something."

"Thanks. It's appreciated."

Suddenly he heard Aqua scream. Riku ran outside to see what was happening. He found Aqua curled into a ball in the middle of the street clutching her head. She was in hysterics. Her blue hair was a complete mess.

"Make her stop! Make her stop!" she shrieked.

Riku kneeled next to her.

"Aqua! Aqua, focus on my voice."

She stopped crying a little but she was still looking at the wall of the house with unusual amounts of fear. Riku realised she was hallucinating quite badly.

"Don't look at her, just focus on me."

"B-but she'll be angry..."

"She'll only hurt you if you let her, just focus on me."

By now everyone had come out to see what was going on. Slowly Riku managed to bring her round. Aerith knelt beside them and handed Aqua a red leaf.

"This will calm you down," she said before handing Riku a pouch full. "Make sure she has one once a day. It won't stop the voice but it should stop her from becoming like this."

Riku took the pouch as Shade walked up to him with the Star Shard.

"We should go," she said.

Riku nodded before speaking to Aqua. "Can you stand."

"Yeah..." she said as she ate the leaf and stood up. "I'm good..."

The trio said their goodbyes as the Star Shard activated, propelling them to a new world.

* * *

**Author's Note: ***Pants* Couldn't catch her...Crappy ending, I know, but it was filler. We get back to the good stuff next chapter with a double arc of Sora's group! :D

**Shade: **I prefer Riku.

**Shadowclaw:** Cos you lurve him ;)

**Shade:** No! I just...haven't met Sora yet...

**Shadowclaw:** Uh-huh sure.


	33. Catching Up With the Past

**Lea:** This is a non-profit fanfiction, the majority of the cast are owned by Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. Shadowclaw98 owns the plot and OCs. Got it memorized?

* * *

_Traverse Town -First District-_

The group walked casually along the cobbled plaza. Lea was looking around the District, 'checking out the poon' as he called it. Kairi was busy resisting the urge to kick Lea down below for being a pervert, while Sora was walking along, arms behind his head humming an all too familiar tune.

"So where did you make that up?" Lea asked, disappointed with the lack of good-looking girls in the area.

"I don't know," Sora replied. "It just always come into my head whenever I come here." He returned to his humming.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm famish," Kairi chuckled pointing to the cafe.

"Now _that's_ a good idea," Lea said enthusiastically.

Sora nodded in agreement and the group quickly occupied a table. When they had decided what they wanted they called the waitress over. At first she was happy, until she saw Sora.

"You!" she said angrily. "What do you think you were doing?! Running off like that without paying!"

"Ahhh sorry Ma'am but I..."

"Then you don't come back for near two months!"

"Sorry!"

"And worst of all, you leave us terrorised by that person in the black coat!"

Sora, Lea and Kairi looked at with their jaws dropped. They all stood up and summoned their Keyblades. The waitress dropped her little notebook, shocked at how quickly they had changed their attitudes.

"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly," Sora apologised. "But we can promise that we can get rid of your Heartless problem for good. Where is that person in the black coat?"

"Erm...they usually hang around the Second District," the waitress replied.

Sooner than you could say 'Moogles' the trio took off for the Second District. Not before Lea came back to chat up the girl.

"You know, if you give me number I can- ARRRGH!"

Kairi pulled Lea from the stunned waitress by the ear. "You can chat to girls later, we have a job to do!"

What the group didn't see was the woman in the black coat hiding in the shadows.

"Time to play fun games," she chuckled. "Lea."

XXX

_Traverse Town -Second District-_

Sora and the others walked through the oversized door to the Second District. No one was here as usual and the large lower level was surrounded by several multi-storey buildings. The only light was the light given off by the starlit sky.

"You see those stars?" Sora said to Kairi. "They say every star is another world."

"Wow," Kairi gasped. "There must a gazillion worlds out there."

"Which one do you think is Requiem?" Lea asked.

Before anyone could voice their opinions a cute giggling noise could be heard near the fountain, one that sent shook Lea to the core. Acting on impulse Lea ran over the ledge and into the courtyard below. Sora and Kairi took the stairs. When they all regrouped, Lea was looking around frantically, his mind racing. Again the mysterious voice giggled. Lea whipped round and look at the other end of the courtyard. Walking towards them was a female in the Organization's black coat. She was thin and looked fragile and walked with a degree of elegance.

"Well, well, well," she giggled, before speaking to Lea. "How long has it been?"

Lea shook his head. "No...no you can't! You can't be with him!"

The woman laughed at the distraught man. Sora and Kairi were uneasy. Lea was usually always the calm one, the one who never let his emotions show. This woman must have been someone he knew.

"I'll tell you how long it's been," she said sweetly. "_TWELVE AND HALF YEARS!_"

Sora and Kairi jumped at her sudden change of emotion. The woman continued.

"But you do remember me, don't you?"

"Of course," Lea replied hoarsely. "You're..."

The woman pulled down her hood. She had long blonde hair with streaks of electric blue on her fringe, amber eyes and pointed ears.

"You're Laylah."

"So you _do_ remember me!" she spat, Lea grimacing at the same line he had once used on Roxas.

"How...how did you get out of there?" Lea stammered.

Laylah chuckled. "I guess I'll tell you before I start my game."

XXX

_Radiant Garden -Reverend and the Makers concert, twelve years ago-_

Laylah felt uneasy. She had woken up in an empty, destroyed hall. Empty except for the vast amounts of misshapen white humanoid figures. They were slender and their hands and feet ended in points. Their strange heads had a zipper running across it.

Laylah backed away from the monsters in fear.

"Lea!" she cried out. "Lea! Help me!"

Her voice echoed throughout the hall. Laylah's heart sank as it dawned on her that Lea wasn't coming to save her.

"Lea..." she said sadly. She started to sob and shouted at no one in particular. "You said you wouldn't leave me! You said...that...that I was the light of your life, the brightest flame you ever saw...and now you're just going to leave me here?"

As she wept in darkness, footsteps echoed as they walked towards her. Laylah looked up to see a young man standing above her, looking down at her. She caught his gaze. The man had mildly tanned skin, amber eyes and pointed ears. His silver hair had four bangs that framed his face, the back two thicker than the front and a single, slicked back spike at the top.

"So pitiful, you could be so much more than this," he said in an emotionless drawl. "You partner has abandoned you and even as we speak your world is being destroyed."

"What?" Laylah gasped through her tears. "W-who are you?"

"My name is Xehanort. I have travelled from the past to gather people for a great purpose." He held his hand out to her. "Do you want to live? Or do you want to die?"

"Huh?" she gasped in shock.

"If you stay here, the Dusks will take your heart from your body," Xehanort said simply. "If you want to live, I can give you power beyond your imagination."

"I want my boyfriend," she said quietly. "I want Lea!"

"Lea has abandoned you. Join me and you can pay him back."

Laylah didn't want to believe what the man said, but she didn't want her heart taken either. With her basic need to survive taking over, she grabbed the young Xehanort's hand.

XXX

_Traverse Town -Second District, present day-_

"You...became one of Xehanort's clones..." Lea whispered.

"I had no choice," Laylah spat back. "I was your girlfriend and you abandoned me!"

"I didn't abandon you!" Lea shouted. "I got roped into some really complicated stuff, but I never once stopped looking for you!"

"_LIAR!_" Laylah roared. "Don't you _dare_ say that!" She calmed herself a bit. "Now then...Remember the games we used to play? Hide and seek, stuff like that? Well I'm going to play some new games."

Laylah shot dark orbs at Sora and Kairi faster than they could draw their weapons. The orbs enveloped the pair and they disappeared in darkness and leaves.

"The rules of the game are simple," Laylah said with her trademark sweet smile. "Find your friends in one hour. They are hidden in hard to find places. If you get to them before the time limit runs out, you go free. If you don't I'll kill all three of you."

"And if I refuse?" Lea asked.

"You don't get a choice," Laylah cackled, disappearing into a dark corridor.

Lea looked around the quiet district. He looked at his watch. 11:05pm.

"Right," he said to himself. "Gotta be quick."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ah, that's a much better chapter. Yeah, clichéd buuuut I like delving into characters past and, since Lea's past is unknown, why not do the ultimate? And you thought that flash back at Disney Castle was just for the hell of it :3

Please review and leave any constructive criticism you think is necessary.


	34. Hide and Seek

**Sora:** Help...I'm stuck on the ceiling...

* * *

_Traverse Town_

Lea ran back to the First District as fast as he could, his mind racing.

Why? Why did it have to be her? He was going to find her and they would have been happy.

Lea cursed under his breath as several Shadows spawned in front of it. Quickly, and with unusual aggression, he dispatched the Heartless before running through the door connected the districts. He slammed the door shut and rested against it for a minute.

"Ok...so, Lea, let's recap," he said to himself. "Your ex is alive and she is trying to kill you." He sighed. "Urgh...this is such a drag..."

He looked around the district. No one was there. Odd. He walked back to the cafe. The food was still put out and, when he touched it, still warm. He began to panic. The only way he thought of that they could have disappeared was if they had become Heartless.

"Relax, Bonbon," Laylah laughed from behind him. Lea grimaced at his old pet name. "They're safe."

Lea turned around and smiled at Laylah.

"So how have you been keeping yourself?" he said, trying his best to stay calm. "It's not every day you meet your ex in circumstances like this."

"You always were like that," Laylah smiled back. "Always keeping your emotions hidden. It was only me you opened up to."

"Well what can I say? You knew how it make me tell the truth."

"And now both Isa and I are your enemies," she taunted, walking up to him. "How does it feel?" She stroked his chin. "To have your past, the one you tried so hard to ignore, come back and bite you in the arse?"

Lea batted her hand away, still smiling. "Could be worse, I could be having some of Isa cooking!"

Laylah giggled the same giggle she always used to do. And it hurt. It made Lea's heart ache seeing her, still the same girl she was, hating him. He decided to take his leave.

"I'm outta here," he said with a bored tone. "Friends to save and all that. Got it memorized?"

"So me and Isa don't mean anything to you now?" Laylah asked with her arms folded.

Lea stopped.

"Isa...changed...he became power hungry," he said, trying his best to hide his sadness. "You? You mean everything to me." He ran a hand through his flame red hair. "Which is why I have to do this."

He walked to the door to the Third District, leaving Laylah smiling like the devil.

"This is going to be fun," she chuckled to herself.

XXX

_Traverse Town -Third District-_

Lea had gone around the small plaza almost a dozen times and he had found nothing. No clue as to where they were. He checked his watch. Only twenty minutes left. Damn. He sat down on the tiled floor. How did everything get so messed up? He hadn't asked for the fate of the worlds to be in his hands, granted it was shared with the other six lights, but it was a lot to take in.

He summoned Eternal Inferno and inspected it for no reason

"Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?" he sighed.

However, his Keyblade tugged in the direction of the second district. Lea stared at it. Eternal Inferno seemed to give an annoyed sigh and tugged harder.

"Alright, alright, geez!" Lea said quickly.

He walked in the direction of the Keyblade's tip, the Keyblade acting like a compass.

"Great, first my ex returns from the dead and now I'm following a Keyblade..." he muttered. "How weirder can this get?"

XXX

_Traverse Town -Second District- _

The Second District was crawling with Heartless, with a higher concentration at the Gizmo Shop.

"So that's where they are..." Lea mused figuring there wouldn't be a mass of Heartless protecting it.

Lea set about taking out the nearest Soldiers and Air Soldiers. This seemed to attract the attention of most of the Heartless in the area, as they all turned to attack the Flurry of Dancing Flames. A Large Body jumped and slammed itself on the ground, creating a shockwave across the ground. Lea flipped over it, the wave taking out some of the smaller Heartless, and slashed the Large Body with flame raid. A flock of Wyverns soared down to him. Lea, being the cocky guy he was, jumped on the head of the nearest and used them as steps. He landed on the upper balcony and ran towards the gizmo shop.

As soon as he rounded the corner to the door he was stopped by Laylah appearing.

"So you figured it out, huh?" she said with a deadly tone.

"Yeah, and by my accounts twelve minutes to spare," Lea replied cockily.

"Don't use that tone with me," Laylah growled back.

"Why? That was the bit about me you loved the most," Lea spat. "Or has Xehanort brainwashed you that much?"

Laylah growled and lifted her arms to the night sky. A mass of the vines and tree trunks shot out of the ground, one grabbing Lea and throwing him on to the roof of the Gizmo Shop. He landed with a grunt, luckily not breaking his arms or legs. Laylah was brought up on a flat-topped tree trunk. In her hand was a green, red bladed naginata. She began walking towards him.

Her eyes...those same eyes...the ones that were once dark, chocolaty brown and looked at him with adoration...now Xehanort's. They looked at him with blazing fury.

"He hasn't brainwashed me!" she shouted, getting a new pair of vines to grab his arms. "I know you were part of Xemnas' Organization, and yet you never looked for me!"

"I asked Xemnas," he stressed. "He said he didn't know."

"He would have told you, you weren't being specific!"

"So it means nothing now? What we had?"

"Shut up!"

"Do remember what I asked you, before the concert started? Before all that hell happened?"

Laylah stopped.

"So you do?" Lea said, his voice softened.

"You said...when we graduate from high school...would I marry you?" Laylah said slowly. "I said yes..."

The vines around Lea's loosened. He stood up and checked his watch.

"Looks like my time is up." he said. "So are you going to kill me?"

"I don't know..." she whimpered, her mind going into overdrive.

"_Laylah!_" Xehanort's eldlerly voice rang throughout the district. "_Do you not be taken in by his lies! You know what you must do!_"

"But I can't..." she whispered before shouting. "He means too much to me!"

"_Very well. Just don't blame me for feeding you to the Dusks. I have plenty of people in mind as replacements._"

Visibly, Laylah snapped. A dark aura appeared around her.

"I'm sorry, Lea," she said menacingly. "But I can't get myself almost killed a second time because of you. If there's one thing I've learned is if life gives you another chance...you take it!"

Lea braced himself.

Laylah charged.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oooh it's all kicking off. Tell me, how did you feel about this chapter?

Constructive criticism and comments welcome.

Also I'm going to try and stick to every two/three days as updating days.

P.S the story's theme song is _The Only Hope For Me is You _by My Chemical Romance, which I don't own. (Yeah, it's MCR and, yes, it's not Utada shoot me.)


	35. The Ghost of You

**Sora:** Still stuck on this ceiling...

**Kairi: ***Sigh* This is a non-profit fanfiction. Shadowclaw does not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any Disney characters. He only owns the plot and the OCs. Please enjoy.

* * *

_Traverse Town -Second District-_

(**Obvious- All Ends**) Laylah swung her naginata, Serene Grace, at Lea. Lea simple dodged and jumped back, only to have his left leg wrapped in vines. Lea cursed and set fire to them, charring his jeans leg in the process. Laylah took the chance and slammed the side of the naginata into Lea's gut. He coughed up blood and spit but wasn't fazed.

'_Looks like I've got no choice...I have to fight her..._' he thought. '_but if I can make her see sense._'

Lea swung Eternal Inferno at his ex. It caught the edge of her left cheek. Laylah was stunned.

"Y-you cut me..." she whispered before glaring. "Looks Xehanort was right."

She raised her hands and sent millions of leaves after Lea. Lea set them alight but they kept going, striking him and burning him with his own flames. Lea remained calm (well, as calm as he could be) and swiped at her again. Laylah blocked and countered by stabbing Lea in the thigh.

Lea collapsed in pain. He pulled out a potion but Laylah knocked it out of his hand. It began rolling to the edge of the second district.

"No!" Lea shouted.

He fired Fira spell at Laylah, setting her the hem of her cloak on fire. As she tried to put out the flames Lea ran over to the kamikaze potion. It rolled over the edge, followed by Lea. He managed to catch it halfway through the drop and drank it, finishing by landing gracefully on his feet, the effect of the potion working its magic.

However, several thick tree trunks burst out of the ground behind him. Lea dashed across the courtyard, branches, vines and trees bursting out of the ground and buildings. He turned as he made it to the door. The Second District had become a giant forest of sprawling trees and rubble in a matter of seconds with Laylah stood atop the Gizmo Shop.

"Damn it..." Lea whispered to himself. "When did Laylah get an elemental ability...and so fucking violent?!"

He leaped into the nearest tree, only for the branch to move out of the way, sending him falling onto the ground. As he landed another tree swung its branches at him. Lea barrel rolled out of the way just as another tree branch came careening towards him.

"Geez, I'm getting serious Azkaban flashbacks..." Lea muttered, jumping to avoid it.

He shot a Triple Firaga at the branch, setting it on fire. It quickly burned down, leaving darkness and ash on the ground. It was then that all the trees decided to gang up on him.

"God-freaking-damn it!" Lea shouted, getting angrier and angrier. "That's it! _FLARE BLITZ!_"

Lea struck his Keyblade into the ground. Everything around him caught fire, the flames reaching out to the sky, crawling their way to Laylah. Lea jumped above the burning forest and landed in front of Laylah.

"You...are not the Laylah I remember," he growled.

"I'm the same, _you're_ the one who's changed!" she retorted, swiping her naginata at him.

"Yeah, the Organization changed me," Lea shouted whilst blocking. "But I never gave in to the darkness! It was...me and Roxas and...yeah, just me and Roxas. Then DiZ got his hands on him and killed him. Saix changed long before that and now you! It was you and me against the world! And now...now you've been taken by Xehanort!

"Xehanort sav-"

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP!_" Lea roared. "Xehanort is using you! And you're just too damn stubborn to admit it!"

This new side of Lea scared Laylah. She had never seen him this angry.

"So...you really _don't _care about me?" Laylah asked, her voice scared.

"Of course I do!" Lea shouted, throwing Laylah back."But Xehanort has dug his claws in. If you refuse to fight me he'll probably take over you permanently! That's what he does Laylah, first it was those Keyblade kids from thirteen years ago, then Saix, then Riku, then Roxas, then Sora and now you! And those are the ones we know about! Who knows how many lives he's ruined!"

"So what now?" Laylah asked.

"You think I know?! There is nothing left of what we had! Xehanort took that away from us! And although it hurts saying this but..."

"Then let's do that then..." Laylah said quietly, understanding what Lea meant. "One final game...I call it; Last One Standing."

Lea nodded. They charged up all their power and dashed towards each other. They both swiped each other fatally. (**End Obvious.**)

It was Laylah who collapsed, blood pouring from her chest.

"So this is it..." she said weakly. Lea grabbed her and held her, turning her to face him. "Thanks...I finally got to see you again..." She chuckled. "I guess...I was the one being the bitch...I'm sorry..."

"No, don't say that..." Lea said, trying his best not cry.

He was failing.

"You were never good at hiding your emotions from me...but...really...I'm sorry."

"Laylah...I don't want you to go...I'll find a way to save you!"

Laylah shook her head as best she could. "No...you won't...even if I do come back...Xehanort will be the one control what I do...please don't hold back..._please_ do not hold back..."

"It was gonna be you and me..." Lea said as his voice broke, tears falling on to Laylah. "...against the world."

"The world...can wait...but I won't be there to see it...That's fine..Oh! I almost forgot..."

Laylah waved her hand slightly. Sora and Kairi appeared behind them. When he noticed what was happening, Sora tried to walk to them, but was stopped by Kairi. Laylah continued.

"That's everyone..."

"I'm sorry about everything I said a few minutes ago," Lea said, holding her hand.

"It's ok...Your forgiven, Bonbon..."

"But I can save you!"

"Nah...you can't and you know that..." she winced at the pain, her breathing becoming shallow. "Well...I think it's time for me to go...You're ok with that aren't you...?"

"What do you think?" Lea laughed sadly.

"Good...Bonbon...I..."

Her last breath escaped her. Lea watched as she faded into darkness.

"Laylah..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wow...that's emotional even for me...I think I need a cuppa. If you have any comments, constructive criticism, questions you know where to leave them.


	36. The Old Life

**Sora: **We get another arc to ourselves? Sweet! :D

**Lea: **I don't see what's so great...

**Sora:** Hey, lighten up Lea *nuggies him*

**Shadowclaw:** Get on with it...I'm tired...

**Sora:** That's what you get for going to bed at midnight :P

**Shadowclaw:** *Demonic glare*

**Sora: **Ahhh, Shadowclaw doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Disney, only the plot and the OCs! This fanfiction is non-profit and for entertainment only! Please don't eat me!

**Shadowclaw: **...Good boy.

XXX

_Lanes Between_

Lea looked out of the gummi ship's cockpit window and sighed. It had been about a week since they had left Traverse Town for the next world. The radar said it was a few thousand miles away and that they were pretty much almost there. Naturally they had stopped at few worlds on the way there for sightseeing and training, but after around five months of travelling Lea had wished they didn't have to try anymore. Or at the very least get the war over with, not because he was lazy, although that was true, but so he could give Xehanort what was coming to him. Xehanort had messed with his best friend and destroyed his home, plus turned his girlfriend against him.

Laylah...

Lea sighed again and continued driving. He glanced at Sora and Kairi. They had been watching a film, _The Avengers_, but Kairi had fallen asleep hugging Sora's arm. Sora himself was struggling to stay awake, well, who could blame him? It was around one in the morning.

"Hey, lovebird, how's the date?" Lea asked with a chuckle.

"Huh...what?" Sora mumbled sleepily, his eyes half closed.

Lea nodded at the sleeping Kairi. Sora looked at her, his eyes shooting open when he saw her.

"Ahaa, Kairi?" he asked shaking her gently.

Kairi stirred and yawned. She opened her eyes slowly and yawned again.

"Huh...? Oh, is it morning?" she asked.

"Kairi...you're um...drooling on me..." he said, laughing nervously.

Kairi's eyes widened. To Sora they had remained the same eyes throughout all his life, young and beautiful. Strong yet innocent. Kairi wiped the drool and laughed weakly.

"Sorry..."

"Haha, don't worry," Sora laughed, hugging her.

"Break up the cute stuff guys, we're here," Lea laughed.

They were hovering in orbit of a small world that was covered in trees and bright blue oceans. It's most prominent feature was the tall mountain that disappeared into golden clouds. Sora ran to the front.

"That looks like the Olympus Coliseum!" he shouted with a wide grin on his face. "We should go down there now to see Herc, Meg and Phil!"

"Easy, Sora, it's not even near dawn down there," Lea said, putting the ship on hover mode.

"Why not stay at a hotel?" Kairi suggested. "We have the money. Five thousand munny to be exact."

Lea raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please?" Kairi said cutely, making puppy eyes. "You always complaining about the beds not being comfy enough."

Lea frowned as Sora folded his arms with a smug grin. Lea looked at Kairi as she cutely put a finger to her mouth. Lea tried to keep eye contact with her. Sora chuckled cruelly.

"Pwetty pwease?" Kairi said, cuter than before.

"Well..."

"Pwetty pwease with a cherry on top?"

"Fine..." Lea broke. "We'll stay there tonight."

XXX

_Olympus Coliseum -Thebes, Inn District-_

The group walked across the moonlit dusty street. Kairi was busy looking at the ancient looking architecture with amazement, also wondering how come there were worlds as advanced as Hollow Bastion as well as worlds that had a historical vibe about them existing in the same space.

"I thought all the worlds existed as one world in ancient times?" she asked Sora.

"Yeah, so?" he replied.

"How come there are worlds that have...this sort of look to it?" she gestured to the buildings and temples showing what she meant.

"I suppose that some parts of humanity must've slowed down technology wise," Lea guessed since Sora frowned at Kairi with confusion. "Traditions from the different parts of that World might have had something to do with it. You see that statue?" Lea pointed at a tall statue of a muscular man wearing a toga. In his hands were lightning bolts. Kairi nodded. "I bet that's of a god of some kind. The natives' beliefs may hold them back from advancing as, say...Radiant Garden or Twilight Town."

"You guessed all that?" Kairi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Some bits, but I was studying 'Medicine Through Time' for my GCSE history exam and if you apply basic knowledge from that you can see why some worlds are less advanced as others."

"Hey! This looks good!" Sora shouted waving from the front of a nearby building.

"You know, Lea," Kairi said before running off. "You're surprisingly smart!"

"Haha, thanks," Lea chuckled before realising the insult. "Hey...what's that supposed to mean?"

The flame-haired man ran over to the two teens and looked at the building. The building was tall and had a distinct ancient Greek style with white pillars holding up a wide porch before the entrance to the building. A sign was writing on a blackboard in white chalk.

"Aw man it's in another language!" Sora said with a deflated look. "Which is weird because they speak English..."

"Hey don't worry about it," Lea said patting Sora on the back. "It'll be no problem if they speak English, got it memorized?"

The trio walked through the door and found only a middle aged man wearing a white toga. The man had greying hair and beard and was standing behind a wooden table sorting out some painted stone tablets. When he noticed them he smiled and said in a cheerful voice, "Hello and welcome to Zeus Inn!"

"Hi, we were wondering if you have a room for three available?" Sora asked.

"As a matter of fact we do! Just the one but it should fit the three of you perfectly. How long are you staying for?"

"Just the one night," Lea said, admiring the various vases and plants the decorated the foyer.

"Ah ok, that'll be thirty gold coins."

The man held out his hand. Sora looked at the others nervously before pulling out thirty large pieces of munny.

"We only have this..."

The receptionist took the munny, inspecting it thoroughly.

"No worries, I can exchange this," he said happily, much to the group's relief. "Now I shall show you to your room."

XXX

_Olympus Coliseum -Thebes, Zeus Inn-_

Their room was relatively large and overlooked a wide river. It was mainly white and cream stone, much like the rest of the town and had a few vases, sculptures and plants decorating it. The first thing the group noticed were the beds. One was a single, the other was a double.

"Well, I'm not sharing with Sora," Lea stated, lying on the single bed and quickly falling asleep.

Sora and Kairi looked at each other nervously before lying on the double bed together, not facing each other so they couldn't see each other's blushing faces. After about a minute of silence Sora spoke.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Mm?"

"Do you ever wish that you could go back to when we were kids?"

"What do you mean? It would be nice I guess..."

"I mean, do you ever _not_ want to be part of...this?" he turned round to face Kairi, who had done the same a few seconds earlier.

Kairi thought.

"I don't want the fate of the worlds on my shoulders but...if it wasn't for the night when Destiny Islands was destroyed then I would never have gotten to see new worlds. I always thought that we would be stuck on the islands forever..." She giggled at her younger self's ignorance of the world. "I remember when we built a raft and thought we could sail across the sea with nothing but a few coconuts and a bottle of water to keep us going."

"Yeah," Sora laughed "we were so stupid back then."

"Not stupid...we were just too young to understand anything."

"Kairi...have you remembered anything about your past?"

"No." She shook her head. "Nothing apart from this blue haired woman saving me from a group of monsters."

Sora sat up slightly.

"You know a blue haired woman? What did she look like?"

"I dunno, it's hard to remember...the only things I do are her ocean blue eyes, bright blue hair and a pretty face. Why?"

"Because I met her too," Sora replied, lying back down. "It was about a year before you arrived. Riku and I were racing across the islet when we saw her. She said...she said if Riku starts to wander down a dark path alone then I had to keep him safe."

"Do you think she might have a connection with Ven?"

"Might do. Did she ever tell you her name?"

"I think...it was Aqua."

Sora felt a warm feeling in his heart. He thought it must be Ven, though he didn't tell Kairi this.

"Why don't we get some sleep?" he said closing his eyes.

"Yeah," Kairi replied doing the same.

XXX

_Olympus Coliseum -Thebes, Inn District-_

A tall man in a brown hooded cape stood on the rooftop near the Zeus Inn. The man, whose name was Zero, had his hood up covering his wild white hair (think Yami Bakura from Yu-gi-oh!) while his brown eyes danced in the moonlight. It seems tailing the Keyholes of Requiem had paid off.

"So, Sora..." he said with slight mad laughter. "I finally found you. Now I can start to put the Unity Plan in action."

XXX

**Author's note:** So after a bout of writer's block (curse you!) I have another chapter up.

As usual tell me what you think, what could have been done better etc etc, the box is below.


	37. Without a Hitch

**Phil:** I got four words for you. Non-profit fanfiction for entertainment only.

**Hercules:** Shadowclaw does not own any Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Disney characters, only the plot and the OCs. Please support the official release.

* * *

Zero walked into his group's camp. He was greeted by one of his followers, a young girl. She gave him some tulips. He smelled them and smiled at her, ruffling her blonde hair. His group were travellers and had no fixed abode. They travelled from world to world via light corridors and gummi ships, working to enlighten the worlds about Kingdom Hearts. It hardly got them anywhere, only a few joined his Lux Vera group at every other world.

Zero made his way to his tent. He was greeted by his two seconds; Vincent and Lambdadelta. Vincent was tall, around six foot two, a good three inches taller than Zero. He had short black hair, green eyes and muscular body that was still athletic enough to allow him to be incredibly fast.

Lambdadelta was a girl who Zero had enlightened at the age of four. She was incredibly loyal to him, even now when she was sixteen. Her hair was shoulder length and pink with two bangs that framed her face, a deep blue streak across the left one. Her face was gently shaped with soft features, the most defining were her light purple eyes. Her body was lithe, athletic and incredibly agile(Zero had trained her and Vincent personally).

"So...have you found them Lord Zero?" Lambdadelta asked curiously.

"Yes, they are in this world," Zero chuckled. "Convenient, isn't it?"

"So we can start the Unity Plan?" Vincent asked.

Zero nodded. "We need to grab Sora when he least expects it. Then we can start the plan...after we get that infernal witch out of the The World That Never Was."

He walked out of the tent and surveyed his followers. As of now they were around a thousand strong across fifty worlds, although Zero, Vincent and Lambdadelta were in charge of the original group. Vincent stepped out behind him.

"Are you sure about the Unity Plan?" he asked his leader in a low voice.

"You know what the Book says," Zero retorted sternly. "A hero of Light will unite the worlds into one. Do you have a problem with that?"

"But...a lot of people are going to die."

"Then if they haven't sinned they will be saved."

XXX

_Olympus Coliseum -Entrance-_

Sora opened the doors to the coliseum. It was high up on Mt. Olympus, so high that you could only see clouds outside the coliseum windows. Kairi and Lea followed in behind him, catching their breaths from the long walk up to the coliseum.

"Remind me...never...to climb that...amount of steps...ever again," Lea said through his pants.

"Ok, ok," Sora said hurriedly. "Now then, where's..."

He looked around the empty space. Coming out of the doors on the across from them were two people; one was tall and incredibly muscular man, the other was a thin, beautiful looking woman in a pink dress. Sora smiled and ran up to them.

"Hey, Herc, Meg! How are you guys?"

The man, Hercules, smiled when he saw Sora and fistbumped him.

"Hey, how's the junior heroes?" he laughed.

"Ah, we're good," Sora replied "Oh! These are my friends Kairi and Lea."

Kairi and Lea walked up to them.

"Hi," Kairi said sweetly.

"Yo," Lea said with a wave.

"Hi," Hercules replied enthusiastically. "Are you here for the games?"

"Games?" Kairi asked.

"It's like a battle tournament," Hercules explained "And the winner gets a trophy and their names on one of those boards." He pointed at the blue and gold boards on the walls near the entrance. While the others were talking amongst themselves, Lea went to the boards. As he walked up to them his Keyblade summoned itself, pointing at one of the boards. A Keyhole appeared in the centre.

"Hey! Hey guys!" Lea called. Sora turned to him. "I found one of those Keyholes!"

Sora did a double take and walked up to him.

"That...was surprisingly easy," he said slowly. "It's got to be a trick, nothing like this ever happens."

"I think we should take the chance, I mean it was easier than Disney Castle and Traverse Town."

Sora nodded so Lea pointed his Keyblade at the Keyhole. A blue beam of light shot out of it and flung itself straight into the Keyhole. Like before an unlocking, metallic click sounded and the Keyhole disappeared.

"So what now?" Lea asked.

"Maybe we should enter the Games?" Sora suggested.

Lea thought and shrugged. "It's not like there's anything better to do."

When Sora told Hercules about the plan, Herc pointed them in the direction to sign up. Sora and Kairi couldn't help but smile at how easy it was. Lea on the other hand was a little apprehensive.

Meanwhile, in the rooms lining the sides of the coliseum, Zero and Lambdadelta waited. Zero was talking to the young woman.

"So you know what you have to do?" Zero asked after going over the plan for the third time.

"Yes," Lambdadelta nodded. "Win the rounds and get to Sora's group. I'll distract them while Vincent gets on with his half of the plan."

"Good girl," Zero said kissing her on the forehead. "Go make me proud."

The pink haired girl nodded and summoned her two katana, Farron and Villiers, holding them both in a reverse grip.

"Time to have fun!" she giggled.

* * *

**Author's Note: **yeah it's a short chapter, but hey, at least you get the Games to look forward to.

Now, I'm not being picky or anything, but I have noticed that it's the same three people who are reviewing out of 18 followers. Yeah, that's nice and everything but I would like some feedback from the others XD So you guys know what to do. Small box at the bottom.


	38. L is for Lost

**Lambdadelta:** Yo, losers!

**Shadowclaw: **Really, Lambda? That's how you introduce yourself to the readers?

**Lambdadelta:** Yes, now then. The fanfiction is for entertainment only, no copyright infringement intended. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and Disney are owned by Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company, Shadowclaw only owns the plot and OCs. Now to begin your enlightenment...

**Shadowclaw:** I don't think we have time for that, on with the show!

* * *

_Olympus Coliseum -The Games Arena-_

Sora's group were in the middle of the ninth match of the tournament. They were up against Large Bodies and Fat Bandits, much to Sora's annoyance. Let's face it, when you have six enemies that are damage proof from the front, three that body slam the ground and three that breathe fire, it's no fun is it?

"I hate these things!" Lea shouted, dispensing of a Large Body with a Fire spell from behind.

"Screw it!" Sora shouted, starting his Trinity Limit attack.

Soon he had dispatched of the Heartless and collected most of the munny and orbs they dropped.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Lea said, eye twitching.

Sora shrugged and walked off the arena, followed by Kairi and Lea. After a drink and some healing they walked back into the arena. A girl with pink and blue hair was standing on the other side of arena. She was standing with her weight forward on her right leg and holding two katana in the reverse grip across her body.

"What the hell is with her?" Lea asked summon his Keyblade along with the others.

"You shouldn't disrespect your opponent in battle," the girl replied not changing her position.

Lea huffed and shrugged.

(**Red vs Blue OST version- Red vs Blue Revelation OST**)

"You have Keyblades? The three of you?"

"How do you know about the Keyblades?" Sora questioned.

"Later hehe, for now...show how skilled you are."

The girl immediately went on the offensive, charging at Sora and slashing at him with her right katana. Sora blocked and countered swiftly, knocking her back. Lea went for her and attacked with the flame-encased Keyblade but the girl smoothly dodged and went for Sora again, this time attacking with the left katana. Sora jumped out of the way, but the girl caught his foot with the right katana, tripping him mid jump.

"You can't be that good..." She blocked Kairi's attack from behind. "If you can't cover all your flanks."

The girl charged up her right katana with electricity and fired a bolt at him. It was blocked by Lea casting Reflect and sent the thunder attack back at her, zapping her and Kairi in the process. Sora ran and severed the connection between Destiny's Embrace and the girl's left katana. Kairi fell over, disorientated.

"Damn..." Sora muttered before attempting to cast Cura.

"Sora, watch out!" Lea shouted, getting his attention.

He turned around just in time to see the girl's twin katana above him. He rolled out of the way just as the blades came crashing down. Sora fired a Blizzard spell, only for it to be blocked and absorbed by the left katana.

"I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Lambdadelta," she bowed. Lea tried to strike her from behind but she kicked him in the crotch, causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. "This is Farron." She held up the sparking right katana. "And this is Villiers." She held up the icy left katana. "You know, I thought you would be stronger than this..." She shrugged. "Ah well, we still need you so...I'm going to have to knock you out. Is that cool with you?"

"What?! No! Of course it isn't!" Sora protested.

Lambdadelta giggled cutely. "Good. It's more fun if you resist."

Lea took this chance to slash her back. Her indigo sleeveless shirt ripped and blood poured out of her back. It wasn't a deep cut however so she could still move relatively easily. Lambdadelta twirled Farron in her hand and thrust it back at Lea. He managed to dodge.

"Hey, watch it!" Lea protested before casting Firaga.

Lambdadelta jumped and spun in the air over the flames.

"You losers can't be _that_ skilled if you can't even work together to be me," she said as she landed.

While Lambdadelta was distracted Sora had managed to heal Kairi.

"Back us up from behind," he told her. She nodded in response and started casting Fire and Aero spells.

Sora ran towards their opponent from behind. Sensing him Lambdadelta spun round and attempted to roundhouse kick him in the face. Sora dodged the kick and struck her leg with teeth of the Kingdom Key. She hissed in pain and let her leg fall back to the ground, only to be hit be the Fire and Aero spells.

Lea took his chance and sliced at the inside of her left elbow, rendering it useless.

"Better," Lambdadelta said smiling cruelly. "But not good enough."

She spun round again with her arm and Farron outstretched. Without hesitation she slashed Lea's chest, leaving a huge gash, leaving Sora stunned. She had just badly wounded Lea in a game without hesitation or remorse. Lea collapsed in pain.

(**End Red vs Blue OST Version**)

"You can't do that!" Sora shouted angrily.

"Says who?" Lambdadelta retorted, smiling wickedly.

"The rules!"

"I play by my rules. What's the point of battle if both sides survive?"

"That's..." Sora started before hearing a muffled scream.

He whipped round to see Kairi being held with her mouth covered by a tall man with short black hair.

"Hey, let her go!" Sora shouted before feeling a sharp prick in his rear end. He looked and found a tranquiliser dart stick out. "What...?" He felt incredibly tired and collapsed on the ground, quickly falling unconscious.

XXX

Kairi struggled against her captor.

"If you struggle you might break or dislocate something," the man said calmly. "Please refrain from doing it."

Kairi stopped and the man relaxed his grip, freeing her mouth.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing much," came a man's voice from the entrance of the arena. Kairi looked and saw a man with pure white her and dark brown eyes. "We're just borrowing Sora for a while, nothing to worry about." He walked up to the group.

"Why do you want him?" Kairi asked, trying to sound threatening.

"Sora holds many people in his heart," the white haired man said simply. "That's why. Don't worry, come to The World That Never Was and you can have him back. Once we're done with him."

Lambdadelta picked Sora up and slung him over her shoulder all with one hand. She waved it and a corridor of light opened up next to her.

"Toodles," the white haired man waved as he, Lambdadelta and the other man walked through it, closing it behind them.

Kairi, stunned at what happened, healed Lea. He stirred.

"What...happened?" he groaned.

"No time to explain," Kairi said quickly. "Sora's been kidnapped!"

"What? Where is he?"

"The World That Never Was..."

Lea's face fell.

"Perfect," he muttered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well I'm veering off of the main plot to put some things in place for KHIV (yes I'm writing one :D). We shall get back on track after the second half of this arc.

As usual review, any constructive criticism welcome, no flames or trolls.


	39. The World That Never Was

**Vincent:** The following is a non-profit fanfiction for entertainment only. Shadowclaw does not own _Final Fantasy_, _Kingdom Hearts _or _Disney _characters, only the plot and the OCs. _Kingdom Hearts_ is owned by Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.

* * *

_The World That Never Was -Memories Skyscraper-_

"Eesh..." Lea said quietly. "I still have nightmares about this place."

"Quiet!" Kairi shushed him, creeping around a corner. "What if the Nobodies hear us?"

"If there were Nobodies mulling around they would have found us by now," Lea groaned. Kairi shot him a glare. "What? I'm just saying..."

Kairi went back to sneaking through the pitch black city. The World That Never Was had long been abandoned by the Nobodies after Xemnas was beaten inside Kingdom Hearts. The weather hadn't changed and rain spat down on the two red heads before trickling down into the gutters.

It had taken the two of them two hours to get to the Organization's former base. That was two hours that Sora was at the mercy of the three that kidnapped him and they, particularly Kairi, didn't want to think about that.

The two made it to the Brink of Despair and watched the floating castle loom over them. The castle was as ominous outside as was inside, perhaps even more so. Kairi had never seen the castle from the base before and the sight, the way it just towered into the sky, terrified her. But her gut instinct told her Sora was in there.

"Aw man..." Lea groaned again. "He would have to be in there wouldn't he?"

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked playfully. "You chicken?"

"Hey." Lea said in a serious tone. "Nobody calls me that. But on another note how do we get _in?_"

Kairi had noticed that there was a lack of a bridge of some kind leading into the castle. Suddenly there was a woosh of wind followed by a glowing orb appearing in front of them. It was miniscule at first but quickly expanded in size to it was around two metres tall, leaving a gaping hole in front of them. On the other side of the hole was what seemed to be the interior of the castle. Kairi looked at Lea.

"Oh, so you think these kidnappers are just rolling out the welcome mat?" he said with high amounts of sarcasm.

"Well what choice do we have?" Kairi replied sternly.

"Hey I'm all up for saving Sora, but you saw how that Lambdathingy person fought. She managed to hold off the three of us for a long time! We aren't dealing with the average kidnappers, that's for sure. And judging from their outfits they're aren't with Xehanort either."

"I know that. But this is our only way in. So are you coming? Or are you just going to let the rain fall on you."

Lea thought for a moment. He knew she was right.

"Fine," Lea said starting for the portal. "But if we get killed I blame you."

Kairi followed him into the portal as it closed behind him.

XXX

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Hall of Empty Melodies-_

Pete stood frozen with fear, bewildered at what had happened. In front of him was a tall man with pure white hair, Zero as he had introduced himself, holding a massive broadsword (**A/N:** **Like Zabuza's or Kisame's swords**) over his right shoulder.

It was dripping with blood.

Maleficent's blood.

She was laying between them, smouldering in dark green flames- breathing her last breaths.

Zero was staring at the cowardly cat with cold eyes.

"Well that was mildly amusing," he said with an uninterested voice. "Put that's what happens when you mess with the leader of the Lux Vera group. Now why don't you run back home to mummy. Go on. Run."

Pete quickly turned and ran out of there as fast as his legs would carry him. Zero's voice rang throughout the castle.

"I said _RUN!_"

XXX

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Nothing's Call-_

Kairi and Lea wound up at the bottom entrance to the castle. Lea complained about being back in the castle much to Kairi's annoyance. They walked towards the entrance to the Crooked Ascension, smiting several Dusks and Creepers along the way. It wasn't long before they ran into a terrified Pete.

"Ahhh, it's you!" he huffed when he saw them. "What're you doin' here?"

"We came for Sora," Kairi growled. "Where's Maleficent?"

"Dead! Some white-haired nutjob killed her!" Pete whimpered. "I'm outta here, you hear me? I ain't gettin' killed for no reason!" He opened a dark corridor and stomped through it. "If you were smart you would turn around right now!"

The duo watched Pete disappear then looked at each other, speechless.

"Maleficent..." Lea started.

"...Is dead?" Kairi finished. "Is that possible?"

Having no other option but to press forward they headed for Crooked Ascension and to Sora.

XXX

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Labs-_

Sora slowly opened his eyes. His head was pounding and his legs were numb. He tried moving his arms but found them clamped to a strange metal table. His head was inside a weird helmet with tiny spikes pointing at his head. In front of him was a white-haired man.

"Ah, you're awake," the man smiled. "That's good, that means we can get this over and done with ahead of schedule."

"Where am I?" Sora asked, slightly afraid.

"You're in the World That Never Was," the man replied. "I am Zero, leader and prophet of the Lux Vera group. You have something we need so we thought we'd take it from you while you're on your Mark of Mastery exam." He shrugged and turned to another taller man with short black hair. "Vincent, fire up the Weave!"

The other man, Vincent, pulled a lever. The spikes lining the inside of Sora's helmet fired up with blue crackling electricity. Sora strained and screamed in pain has it felt like is brain was being scraped across with a rusty knife. The pain was unbelievable.

"Damn...it...!" Sora shouted between the shouts and grunts.

"Don't worry, it should be done soon," Zero said with a smile. "Soon being about...ten minutes."

Zero watched Sora writhe about. Of course the pain was unbearable, Heart Weaves generally were incredibly painful on the test subject as they were still in development. The idea was simple. Attach the subject to the helmet, the Weave itself, and have the electricity absorb part of a the subjects life energy, the heart, and convert it into a raw 'heart'. And since Sora was practically brimming with hearts he should survive it.

In fact he had to. For the sake of the Unity Plan.

"Lord Zero!" shouted Lambdadelta as she ran in.

"What is it?" Zero asked.

"That girl and the flame man are in the castle!"

"Hmmm..." Zero said as he thought on what to do. "Vincent?"

"Yes My Lord?" the tall man replied looking up from the control to the Heart Weave.

"Hold them back. Eight minutes should be enough. I'll keep an eye the Weave."

Vincent nodded and left the room swiftly. Zero and Lambdadelta continued to watch Sora struggle as his eyes, nose and ears bled.

"How long do you think the plan should take once we have what we need?" she asked as she hugged Zero's arm."

"Two years, sweetie," he replied gently, turning to hug her softly. "Two years. That's when it'll all change."

XXX

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Forgotten Divide-_

Kairi and Lea were walking across a lengthy bridge that connected two towers together. They were at the point where the castle was above the clouds.

"You sure it's this way?" Lea asked.

"My Sora Radar never lies!" Kairi shouted.

Lea stopped. "You have a Sora...radar?"

Kairi turned and giggled. "Mhmm."

"That's just creepy. On so many levels. Did you stalk him when you were younger?"

Kairi looked away. "No..."

"Riiiight."

The two continued across the bridge but were stopped halfway by a light portal appearing. The man with short black hair walked through it.

"I have been sent to hold you back." the man said simply. "But all you have to do is wait a few minutes and you shall have Sora back."

"What's your name?" Kairi growled.

"Vincent," the man replied.

"Well, Vincent, we're not leaving without Sora!" she roared summoning Destiny's Embrace as Lea summoned Eternal Inferno.

"Very well," Vincent replied summoning his weapon, a bo staff called Lucis Flameae. "Then we shall fight, but believe me it gives me no pleasure in this."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the whole lack of updates thing, I started writing this last week but things got busy so I haven't had much time to update. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave any comments you have or questions in the box below and I will try to answer them as spoilerlessly (hehe I made a new word :3) as possible. Unless you use a guest account. In which case I shall have no choice but to ignore it.


	40. Z is for Zero

**Lea: **Oh my God! We're middle-aged!

**Kairi: **Oh boy... Just hurry up and let's beat him!

**Shadowclaw: **Looks like I'm doing the disclaimer...great -_- This is a non-profit fanfiction for entertainment only. I do not own any _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy_ or _Disney _character/worlds, they are owned by Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I only own Shade and the other OCs as well as the plot. Enjoy.

* * *

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Forgetten Divide-_

Vincent jumped further back and set about silently casting Haste on himself, becoming surrounded by a violet glow. Kairi charged toward him shooting Blizzard and Fire spells.

"Kairi! Don't get too reckless!" Lea shouted.

Vincent took the hits but shrugged them off as if they were snow. He poised himself and waited for Kairi to come closer.

Closer. Closer.

Kairi got within range and prepared to strike but Vincent struck her in the stomach with side of his staff. She stumbled and fell to the ground, coughing up phlegm and some blood.

"Damn it!" Lea cursed under his breath and coated his Keyblade in flame and threw it at Vincent.

Vincent jumped quickly out of the way. Lea moved his hand slightly the Keyblade shifted in the same direction, silently thanking his affinity for fire. The Keyblade followed Vincent, spinning like a whirling dervish and struck him when he landed and burned him.

Vincent looked at Lea with sorry eyes.

"Why does everyone think violence solves anything?" he asked rhetorically and casting Ruin.

The silver ball of non-elemental energy arched in the air and landed near Lea near his feet, exploding and knocking Lea off his feet.

"That was a warning shot," Vincent said. "If you continue to fight the next one will be more powerful and won't miss. I guarantee that."

Kairi staggered to her feet. She attempted to run and strike Vincent but she stumbled again.

"You're...really strong..." she said as she got to her knees.

"I don't want to fight you," Vincent said again.

"You asked for a fight when you kidnapped Sora!" Kairi shouted.

"We only need him for two more minutes."

"What for?" Kairi growled. Vincent remained silent. Kairi growled again. "What. For?"

"Sora has multiple people residing inside him. They are Roxas, Ventus and Xion."

"Xion?" Kairi asked.

"Xion?" Lea repeated getting up. "I know that name, but I can't think from where..."

"She was your friend. But that's not the point. We need one of them to further our plans."

"And what are they?" Kairi asked getting increasingly angry.

"All in time, don't worry. When Lord Zero is done the whole World we be better off."

"And Sora? Are you going to kill him?"

"Goodness no! Sora is needed to defeat Xehanort. We're on the same side here."

"Doesn't seem like it..." Lea muttered.

Vincent opened a portal and turned to it.

"The process is done. Do you want to see him?"

Kairi and Lea nodded. Vincent motioned to the portal and three walked through.

XXX

_The World That Never Was -Castle That Never Was, Labs-_

The first thing Kairi saw was Sora slumped on a horizontal metal table, unconscious and bleeding from his nose, eyes and ears. Kairi ran up to him and shook him.

"Sora! Wake up!" she shouted with tears in her eyes.

No response.

(**The Master Vainglorious- Doctor Who OST**)

Kairi's breath left her. Her worries turned to fury. She turned to the white-haired man, Zero as Vincent called him, who was stood next to the table.

"What have you done to him?!" she screamed.

Zero smiled.

"Nothing much," he replied casually with a shrug. "Just a bit of a...heart scrape, nothing reeeeaaally too harmful." He chuckled at Kairi's reaction. "What's wrong? Ohhhh I get it! You like him!" He laughed like it was all one big joke. "Well it would be a _shame_" Zero took a quick step forward, towering over the girl. "If anything bad happened to him. But we don't want that." He took a step back. "We want Xehanort dead as much as you do. Xehanort has abused his power as a Keyblade Master."

"Shut up!" Kairi yelled, lunging at him with her Keyblade.

Zero summoned Cleaver and blocked the attack effortlessly.

"You really are stubborn when it comes to Sora..." he sighed. "However if you join Lux Vera I can soon iron that out of you."

"We're not joining any group that uses violence and kidnapping to get their point across," Lea said firmly, standing beside Kairi. "Got it memorized?"

Zero relaxed Cleaver and shrugged Kairi off. "Your choice, I can't force you, we never force people. But just so you know if you meddle with our plans..." His face turned cold. "We will kill you."

(**End The Master Vainglorious**)

Kairi felt scared and Lea was uneasy. He felt it was difficult to read Zero, the way he talked was just too...hectic. The way he laughed about Kairi's feelings for Sora to the threat he just made...Lea felt there was genuine truth behind it, it all rubbed him the wrong way. Not to mention he _killed _Maleficent who was obscenely powerful...

"Alright," Lea lied. "We promise to stay out of your way."

Zero smiled eerily. "Ok then."

Suddenly the ground between them glowed. A Keyhole appeared between them. By instinct Kairi sealed it.

"So the showdown is on Requiem..." Zero said quietly. "Well good luck to you." He turned to Vincent and Lambdadelta. "We're down here, collect the heart"

He pointed to a wide, small cylindrical container near a machine that contained a pinkish glowing heart. Vincent carefully removed it while Lambdadelta opened a portal.

"Sora will wake up soon," Zero assured. "Now then...farewell."

With that the three walked through the portal. Kairi and Lea turned to Sora. He was still asleep. All they could do was wait.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Phew...Two more arcs and then it's the showdown with Xehanort :D Although I don't know how many chapters that is.


	41. Twilight Town, Where Hearts Meet

**Shade: **Geez...Your friend really does hog the limelight...Imagine getting kidnapped.

**Riku: **It was for plot. ...And what are you doing _on the ceiling_ _of the train?_

**Shade: **Bored. *shrugs*

**Riku: ***Sighs* _Shadows of the Heart _is a non-profit fanfiction for entertainment only. _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and all _Disney _characters are owned by Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. Shadowclaw only owns the OCs and the plot. Please support the official release.

* * *

**Last time on Shadows of the Heart:**

_"What if...my past...makes me a bad person?"_

_"Aqua. Master Aqua."_

_"I have psychosis..."_

_"Those Heartless...are attacking Ansem?"_

_"When did you learn magic?"_

_"Shadow Splitter!"_

_"That's...not going to work...Just like Cyrus...I will be back!"_

_"Terra and Ven, Terra and Ven!"_

* * *

_Twilight Town -Station Heights-_

Shade, Riku and Aqua stepped out of the station. They had arrived in Sunset Terrace and caught the train to the main part of the town. The orange bricks and tiles gave off warm air from the ever-setting sun and the clouds glowed a radiant golden colour. Aqua ran to the wall overlooking the lower town with a curious look on her face.

"I've never been here before," she said softly, shielding her eyes from the suns glare. "What's it called?"

"Twilight Town," Shade replied standing beside her. "It's been almost six months since I last saw Hayner and the others. I wonder how they're doing?"

"Well why don't we find them?" Riku suggested as he walked to Market Street.

Shade's eyes lit up and she bounded after Riku, excited to see her friends again. Aqua took one last look at the sun.

"_There's a dark presence lurking in this world,_" Aqua's Voice warned. "_And it's not from that girl. Be careful._"

Aqua nodded. Although her voice took pleasure in toying with her, it was usually right about this stuff. Aqua summoned Master Keeper and ran after the other two.

XXX

_Twilight Town -Market Street-_

Shade walked calmly down the street looking at the various shops that were there. They had remained unchanged in the six months she had been gone. She had to admit that with the fifty odd worlds they had travelled to it felt longer. She breathed in the smells of the bakery and sweet shop, glancing at the Sohos store that was tucked between them. She needed a new outfit and would go with Olette when she found her.

Riku watched her check the shops and saying hello to everyone she knew, which seemed to be everyone. He smiled as Aqua walked up behind him.

"You love her don't you?" she asked out of the blue.

"Eh? Ah! No!" Riku stammered, blushing brightly.

Aqua laughed.

"You're not good at hiding stuff, you know that right? Why don't you tell her?"

"I'm no good for her," he sighed. "Besides I'm her teacher. There's got to be some rule against that, right?"

"Probably," Aqua said. "But that probably died along with the Land of Departure."

Riku looked at her and smiled.

"Rikuuuuuuu!" Shade shouted from the entrance to the alley. "Come on!"

Riku laughed before saying to Aqua; "She's really impulsive." He looked at Shade before jogging to her followed by Aqua.

When they entered the Usual Spot they found it empty of people. However, there was a small letter stuck to the mirror. Riku picked it up and looked at it.

"It's for you," he said, handing it to Shade.

Shade took it and read it aloud.

"Dear Shade, take a look in the mirror. I bet that aura is more prevalent now that your memories are coming back. Anyway, back to the point, we have your friends at the Old Mansion. If you want your friends back then go there. Lots of love from your brother Lerax."

Shade dropped the letter with shock. She slowly looked at her hands as her head pounded. She could see the aura around them.

Then she heard it.

_Boom!_

Louder and louder.

_Boom! Boom!_

A single kettle drum.

She clenched her fist in fury.

"Master, Aqua, we're going to the Old Mansion." she growled trying to keep composed.

"Shade it's probably going to be a trap..." Aqua tried to reason.

"I know it's going to be a trap!" Shade yelled as a ring of darkness expelled itself from her torso. "But they are my friends!" She glanced at Aqua and Riku with her amber eye. "Wouldn't you save yours from a trap?"

Aqua and Riku looked at each other with the same expression. They knew she was right.

"Alright then," Riku said calmly. "Let's go rescue your friends."

* * *

**Author's Note:** First of all I'm really, really, REALLY sorry about the whole not updating for a month. I had college work, anime to watch, a project with my friend to do and I just haven't had the motivation to write (depression and stuff) :/

But I should be getting back on track though. We're close to reaching the Requiem Arc. Please stay tuned! Also drop in a review if you could :3

PS: during my absence I reached over 10,000 views, so thanks everyone :D


	42. From the Past

**Terranort: **The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Kingdom Hearts _and _Final Fantasy _are owned by Square Enix and all _Disney _characters are owned by The Walt Disney Company. Shadowclaw only owns the plot and OCs. Please support the official release or the darkness shall take you.

* * *

_Twilight Town -Mansion-_

Riku and Aqua followed a furious Shade into the Mansion. Riku was confused as to why Shade wasn't surprised that she had a brother. He thought she would at least ask questions. At first he thought it was Shade's alter and the darkness that she was unconsciously radiating was certainly similar, but Shade hadn't switched, which got him all the more worried.

On the other hand, Shade was furious that someone had messed with her friends. She was going to murder the people responsible. She looked around the empty foyer, glaring at every corner of the room. Her head was pounding. It was as if her brain was forcing its way out of her skull. And the noise. The single kettle drum. She had heard it faintly since Neverland and now it was getting increasingly louder.

"Damn it where are they?!" she shouted kicking a table in anger.

"We are right here, Sister," a soft male voice said from nearby.

The group looked around hurriedly. Riku spotted a person in a black coat on the landing. He had an athletic build and from the timbre he sounded around Shade's age.

"That must be...!" Riku gasped as the boy removed his hood.

The boy had spikey dirty blonde hair that fell just above his shoulders. His face was smug, his eyes amber and his ears pointed.

"That's right," he replied. "I am Lerax, Shade's brother."

Shade's head seared with burning hot pain. She held her head in her hands, screaming.

"No! I don't want to remember that! Why...why are they...?" Images flashed through her head one after an another. Machines, an old man with a cruel, twisted smile, Heartless, hundreds of dead bodies. "Did I...I couldn't have...!"

Riku ran up to her and supported her as Aqua readied herself for battle.

"Riku..." Shade whimpered, looking at him with scared eyes. "Help..."

"What is it? What can you see?"

"Dead...bodies...so many...did I kill them?" she replied getting more and more scared and panicked.

"That is for you to figure out dear sister," Lerax replied as he made his way down the stairs. "Master wants you back. To punish you for being a failure."

"Shade's not a failure!" Aqua shouted.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Lerax replied. "You don't even know her! Who are you to judge?"

"I may not know her but we're friends, and you're her family start acting like it."

Suddenly Shade let out a demonic scream. She collapsed to the ground with Riku supporting her.

"Her memories are almost back," Lerax observed. He clicked his fingers. "Grimm!"

A dark corridor opened and out walked a man in a black coat. He had his hood down and had hair as black as night that fell neatly around his head (**A/N: Think Zero from Vampire Knight**) and his amber eyes shone in the twilight.

"This is Grimm," Lerax introduced to which Grimm nodded. "He doesn't say much. Grimm, get my sister."

Grimm strode over to Riku and the unconscious Shade. Riku immediately summoned Way to the Dawn and charged at Grimm. Grimm summoned his scythe, Death Wing, and struck Riku across the chest. He collapsed and casted Curaga on himself only for Grimm to kick out of the way. He scooped up Shade with one hand and slung her over his shoulder.

"Hold it!" Aqua growled. "Put her down!"

Grimm looked at her then at Lerax who clicked his fingers again. A second dark corridor appeared and out walked another member of Xehanort's Organization. Aqua's eyes narrowed. He and spiky silver hair, tanned skin amber eyes and pointed ears. He looked around Aqua's age, if not slightly older.

"Hello Aqua," he said in a deep voice.

"You look...familiar," she said back slowly, sifting through the fog of her memories.

"_Starts with 'T',_" her voice hinted.

"T...T...umm...Terra!" Aqua exclaimed. "You're Terra!"

"Terra you say?" the man replied

(**Dismiss- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST**)

"Terra...?" Aqua repeated, unsure of herself as more memories came back.

The man smiled and summoned a Keyblade, the Chaos Ripper; "Terra's heart has been extinguished...smothered by the darkness within him!"

Aqua's eyes widened in realization.

"Xehanort!" she screamed, summoning Master Keeper and charging whilst Terranort setup a dark barrier around them.

Riku watched them. "Damn it...Aqua! Oh! Shade!"

He turned partially to see Lerax and Grimm with Shade over his shoulder.

"If you want 'Shade' as you call her back then follow us to Subeta if you dare," Lerax said calmly before he and Grimm walked through the corridor. "Oh, and about the others, they're perfectly safe at the beach. My promise."

XXX

_Twilight Town -Mansion, Foyer-_

Terranort lunged at Aqua who countered with her Keyblade and struck him with a Firaga spell. The Xehanort clone leaped back and fired a Dark Volley Shotlock at her. Aqua cartwheeled out of the way, only to be caught off guard by Terranort shooting up from a dark portal beneath her. She flipped upright and landed gracefully on the floor.

"Even though you are broken you still know how to fight?" Terranort scoffed. "Pathetic."

"Shut up!" Aqua yelled. "Give Terra his body back _now!_"

"Did you not hear? Terra's heart is lost."

"I refuse to believe that!" Aqua touched her heart. "I may have problems now...and I may not remember much about my friends...but I know that Terra would never give up!"

Aqua fired a Triple Blizzaga at Terranort. Terranort dodged and quickly dashed towards the Keyblade Master and swung at her with Chaos Ripper, slashing Aqua's left arm deeply.

Aqua hissed in pain and shot a Thundaga Shot at her fallen friend before leaping to the other end of the dark barrier. Terranort ran towards her and the two clashed again, metal ringing throughout the Mansion. Aqua pushed on to her Keyblade more, forcing Terranort back. Terranort countered by putting his weight on his Keyblade. Aqua pulled away, causing Terranort to stumble, then quickly blasted him with Glacier. The frozen Xehanort fell backwards. Aqua fired a Firaga Burst at him, melting the ice before kicking him over.

"I'll say it again. Give Terra his body back!"

Terranort stood up.

"Not again..." he growled. "I will not be beaten a fourth time!"

Terranort quick-stepped to Aqua and lunged at her with Ars Solum, giving Aqua severe cuts. Aqua managed to cast Barrier in an opening and used Counter Blast to send her opponent to the other end of the arena. Casting Curaga on herself she ran to him again and swiped his face, leaving a large cut.

Terranort roared in pain and shot a powerful Dark Firaga at Aqua. She took the full front of it. Angry, she struck at Terranort again with powerful blows, one after another. Terranort blocked with Chaos Ripper but was eventually knocked down. Aqua loomed over him, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"You. Heartless. Bastard." she growled menacingly. "You're the reason my life fell apart. Now you can do one of three things. Number one; keep fighting. B...no...two; give Terra is body back. Or three..." She leaned her face into his and whispered. "Run away."

"Run away?" Terranort breathed out.

"Yes, I want you to be known in the Organization as the one who not only lost to a girl three times but also ran away from her."

(**End Dismiss**) Terranort thought for a moment and considered his options.

"Fine. I'll 'run away'." He spat. Aqua grinned cruelly as she let Terranort stand up. "But don't think it's over yet girl. The blade will be forged."

Terranort shattered the dark barrier and disappeared through a dark corridor. Aqua made her way to Riku, who had been watching the whole thing open mouthed.

"So that's the power of a Keyblade Master..." he whispered.

"Come on, we have your friend to rescue," Aqua said with false calm.

Riku nodded and turned to the corridor. Each took a deep breath before walking through.

XXX

_Subeta -Old Town-_

Riku and Aqua walked out on to cracked tarmac. They were in what appeared to be an old housing estate. But the roads were cracked and the houses wrecked. The trees were burnt and stood dead in the ground. The sky was covered in black storm clouds.

"What the hell...?" Riku gasped.

"What happened? A bomb?" Aqua asked herself.

The two heard some rustling behind them. They both summoned there Keyblades and prepared themselves. A boy around sixteen fell out of the bushes. He had light brown hair that was spiked with gel and blue and white T-shirt and baggy combat pants. He was holding a ninjato.

"Yo! You're new here right?" he said cheerfully.

XXX

_Lanes Between_

Sora, Kairi and Lea sat in the Gummi Ship as it drove itself along.

"So where is the next Keyhole?" Sora asked.

"A place called Subeta," Lea replied.

"I haven't heard of that world. Wonder what's there?" Kairi pondered.

"I wouldn't know," Lea shrugged. "It came up a few times in the Organization's computer whilst I was a Nobody but it was classified. As far as I know Xemmy was running experiments on making more powerful Heartless there."

"Well then," Sora grinned."Let's go shut down those experiments! To Subeta!"

* * *

**A/N:** It's almost time for Shade to face her past. And the two groups are finally meeting up again. I can tell you now, the next arc is going to be badass :D

As usual if you enjoyed it drop a review in to tell me how I did, what you liked, what you didn't like etc etc.

Until next time.


	43. Subeta Prt 1 Reunion

**Riku: **The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and all _Disney _characters are all owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Hirononbu Sakaguchi, Square Enix, Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company. All other characters and the plot are owned by Shadowclaw98.

Please support the official release.

* * *

_Subeta -New Town-_

Riku was sat in a modern house that belonged to the parents of the boy who had found him and Aqua. The boys name in question was Paul and he had introduced himself as a long time friend of Shade's.

"...and then she was taken while we were playing by a man in a black coat..." Paul finished. "That was two years ago. I didn't see her until about a year and a half later when the Old Town was destroyed. She just disappeared after that."

"That must've been hard on you and her family," Riku said taking a drink of his coffee.

"Tell me about it, then some people in black coats come back carrying her whilst I was scouting the Old Town followed by you guys! You've got to help me get her back, she's my best friend!"

Riku sighed and thought about his options. He wasn't as trustful as Sora but what Paul was saying seemed to be true. He turned to Aqua who was staring into her untouched tea. She had been quiet since they got here.

"You okay?" Riku asked her.

"I don't know..." she said quietly. "I can remember what happened in Radiant Garden fourteen years ago...I fought Terra...Xehanort...whatever! That's how I got trapped...It was so painful and..." Her eyes widened as she dropped her cup on the floor, spilling the tea everywhere. She grabbed her head and put it between her legs. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Riku fiddled around in his bagpack and found the one of the leaves Aerith gave them. He crouched down next to Aqua and spoke gently; "Aqua...eat this then sit this one out."

"But..."

"No buts. Have a nap and I will come get u when I found Shade. I promise."

Aqua nodded and gobbled down the leaf before lying down and closing her eyes. Riku stroked her hair slightly before standing up and turning to Paul.

"I'm going to go find Shade. You coming?" he asked.

"Should we leave her here?" Paul asked back, pointing at Aqua.

"She'll be fine don't worry, the leaf is supposed to make her sleep."

"Fair enough," Paul shrugged.

"I'm Riku and this is Aqua," Riku introduced.

"Nice to meet you Riku. Now let's get Shade back."

Paul ran out, followed by Riku. Once outside Riku looked at the sky. The storm clouds were still looming overhead and a bitter breeze bit his bare arms.

"This could be the end of it for Shade..." he whispered, clenching his fist. (**Metallic Madness Present (US)- Sonic CD OST**) "No I won't let that happen."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" came a male voice from the direction of the Old Town.

"That sounded like..." Riku gasped. "Paul, let's go!"

XXX

_Subeta -Old Town, Main Street- _

_Half an hour earlier_

Sora stepped off the Gummi Ship out into the gloomy street. They was nothing that showed any life here. The roads and pavements were cracked and several buildings had their windows broken or boarded up or were just plain smashed up. Sora looked up at the sky. A large storm cloud was hanging overhead and a cold wind blew.

"Eesh..." Lea said stepping out of the ship with Kairi. "What the hell happened here?"

"Can we just find the Keyhole and get out of here?" Kairi said nervously.

"If we can find it..." Sora said looking around at the derelict street. "Come on, let's go."

Closely knit, the trio walked cautiously through what seemed to be the main shopping area of the world they were on. There were various shops of every kind; clothes, food, sports, even a Mcdonalds. All were boarded up or smashed. In some places you couldn't even tell what was there, they were just twisted masses of metal structures.

After around fifteen minutes the group came across a large wire-fenced area. Lea smiled and began climbing it.

"What're you doing?" Sora questioned.

"If there's a large fenced area in the middle of the town like this then people don't want people like us in here," Lea replied with a smile.

"Or they don't want something getting out!" Kairi shouted. "Get down this instant!"

"Geez you sound like my mother," Lea groaned, hopping down the other side. "Down."

"You know what I meant!" Kairi shouted. "Sora, I don't like this."

"I know Kairi..." Sora sighed. "But the Keyhole might be on the other side."

Sora swiped the fence with his Keyblade, leaving a hole just wide enough for a person to get through. He climbed through it and beckoned Kairi, who also climbed through it and the trio began aimlessly walking again.

Eventually they came across a square and a town hall. The town hall looked a wreck with only the clock tower still unscathed. As soon as they made it to the centre a dark corridor opened.

"You have arrived," said the deep voiced man who walked through. "I never would have thought a Keyhole of Requiem would be right under our noses."

"I recognise voice," Sora growled, getting into his fighting position.

"Hello Xemmy," Lea chuckled, summoning his Keyblade.

(**End Metallic Madness Present US**)

"Well, well," Xemnas laughed pulling his hood down. "I never would have thought that another one of our former Organization could have the potential to wield a Keyblade. This is most surprising Axel."

"Haven't you been told? It's Lea. Got it memorized?"

"Yes..." Xemnas said with mild disinterest. "Tell me Sora, how much stronger have you gotten since the Realm of Sleep?"

"A lot!" Sora replied.

Xemnas chuckled darkly. "Then how would you like to see the fruits of our labour? We have managed to make contact with the Original Heartless, the Primordial. And he has lent us one of his minions to dispose of you. Now, arise!" Xemnas raised his hands into the air. "One of the seven Princes of the Dark Realm, Mammon of Greed!"

(**Metal Madness- Sonic Heroes OST**)

A huge dark portal opened up behind the trio causing the entire city to shake. Two large, sharp-clawed hands rose out of it and grabbed the edge of the portal. These were followed by another pair, and then another. Pulling itself out was a giant ink-black demonic monkey. In its chest was a large heart-shaped hole.

"Ain't nobody got time for that..." Lea groaned in shock.

_**I am Mammon of Greed. **_the monkey boomed. _**For what purpose have you summoned me, non-existant one?**_

"Mammon...erase these fools!" Xemnas ordered as he left.

_**Hmph! You're testing your willpower by having me do something this trivial? **_ Mammon scoffed. _**Very well.**_

As Mammon prepared to blast them with a Dark Mega Flare a two sword wielders appeared from nowhere and swiped the beast's top most left arm.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed upon recognition.

"Hey Sora, long story short, this is Paul"

"Hi," Paul, the second sword wielder, said.

"And we're here to save a friend that Xehanort kidnapped."

"Right," Sora nodded. "First we gotta take down this thing."

Together the five of them braced for a long battle.

XXX

_Subeta -Research Lab, Dungeons-_

Alone in the dark a girl stood chained to the wall by her arms. Flashing through her head were a thousand images of her forgotten past.

All that could be heard was the

Boom

Of that

Single

Kettle

Drum.

(**End Metal Madness**)

* * *

**A/N:** So how did I do? I feel the pacing was a bit too quick really but that's just me. Also Mammon has a bigger role in the coming sequels, particularly KHV, I just wanted to get one of them out there. So cliffy, and a flashback sequence for you know who in the next chapter which I shall write as soon as I can.

I got my mojo back! :D


	44. Subeta Prt 2 Memories

**Shade: **The...following is a...non-profit fanfiction...etc etc..._Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and _Disney_ aren't owned by...Shadowclaw...Support the official release...Now...get me_ OUT OF HERE!_

**A/N: **For the entire chapter play **Main Theme- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni OST**. It makes it better, trust me. Also there is some nudity in this chapter.

* * *

_Subeta -Children's Home-_

_11 Years Ago_

A young girl, about four years old, sat crying on her bed. She had pitch black hair and midnight blue eyes. In her hands was a broken Muppets cup. A boy, also four, with short blonde hair and bright green eyes walked in. Seeing the broken cup he walked up to the girl.

"What's wrong, Sis?" the boy asked. "What happened to your cup?"

"Paul broke it..." the girl sniffed.

"What?! But that's your favourite cup! It was a momento from our mother! I'll show him what he gets for that!"

The boy walked off followed by the young Shade.

"Lerax don't! It was an accident!"

Shortly after this the scene switched to Lerax knocked out on the floor. Paul was stood over him, laughing.

"That's what you get for messing with the toughest kid in the home!"

XXX

_Subeta -Primary School-_

_9 Years ago_

A six year old Shade sat lonely in a corner of the playground. She had been crying because Lerax had been taking to the nurses office again after being in a scrap with an older boy. He had lost.

Shade looked around the playground, watching the kids play and laugh with each other. A football (**A/N: **I'm British so a football to me is a soccer ball to the rest of the world) flew past her head. Deciding it would be better and certainly less dangerous she got up and took a walk about, keeping to the wall.

As she walked she spied something that shocked her. Paul was in the middle of the playground being harassed by a group of boys and girls that were around ten years old. Shade immediately ran up to them.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" she cried.

"Hey look, it's the brat's little girlfriend," a brown haired boy sneered. "Must be suckish if he needs a girl protecting him!"

The whole group laughed. Paul looked at Shade with eyes that said why? Shade, angry, bit the brown haired boy on the leg as hard as she could.

"Argh, the little bitch!" the boy shouted trying to shake her off.

The scene changed to the nurses office. Paul had been sent home so Shade and Paul were on their own. Paul, who was sat on a chair, looked at Shade.

"Why did you protect me? I'm horrible to you..."

Shade turned on the bed to face him. "Because I know what it's like to be bullied."

Paul grimaced. Shade smiled at him. "Cheer up. We're friends now, right?"

Paul looked up and smiled. "Friends? I guess I do owe you."

XXX

_Subeta -Main Street-_

_5 years ago_

"So what did you do with your foster family?" Shade, now ten, asked Paul as they and Lerax walked down the street. The three friends had been for a meal together now that Paul was back from his holiday with his new family.

"Oh you know, swimming pools, tennis the usual, nothing fancy," Paul replied casually.

"You don't have to sugar-coat it just 'cause we're still in care," Lerax laughed.

"Fine, we went diving for whales," Paul retorted.

"That's just pushing it," Shade giggled.

"Ah, you know me so well, Shade," he chuckled.

"Why do you call me Shade anyway?" Shade pouted.

"Because," Paul smiled. "You mysterious and you don't fit in with any stereotypes."

"I don't know whether to take that as an insult..."

"Take it as a compliment," Lerax winked.

"Hey! What's with the wink?" Shade asked.

The two boys laughed and ran off. Shade gave a sulky pout before chasing them.

XXX

_Subeta -Old Town-_

_2 Years Ago_

"No get off me!" Shade screamed in fear as the long, silver-haired man dragged through the forest. Lerax had already been taken and Paul had been knocked out by the man.

"Be quiet," the man ordered. "Or I'll have my Heartless kill him."

Shade obliged, wanting to keep Paul safe, breathing shakily as she was dragged through a dark portal.

XXX

_Subeta -Research Lab, Dungeons-_

_1 Year Ago_

Shade stood chained to the wall. She was stood in her own urine and faeces completely naked. The old man, Xehanort, said she didn't deserve to be kept properly. She was less than human. Just above her almost fully developed breasts was a large hole that showed her heart. It was beating half-heartedly, like it was on the verge of giving up. It was only her hatred that was keeping her going.

The man who kidnapped her, Ansem, walked in with a machine. She hissed in fear and hate as the large pipe that was part of it was attached to her heart. She braced herself for the searing pain as she felt Darkness energy course through her blood vessels. She had given up resisting a long time ago and gave up crying not long after.

After the experiment was over Ansem left with his machine.

Not a word was spoken between the two.

XXX

_Subeta -Old Town-_

_6-8 Months Ago_

Shade had been fighting for almost five hours now wearing nothing but some bandages she had found to cover her chest and crotch. Her newly acquired Keyblade had granted her the ability to fight back and the fight had destroyed most of the Old Town. She had already lost her brother to Xehanort, she wouldn't let herself be lost either. She was holding her own against Ansem, Xemnas and the old man himself, using her Darkness abilities and sword skills she had learned from Paul.

Paul...

It had been nearly two years since she had seen him.

She wondered if he ever thought of her. Xehanort had said he took them because "nobody misses care kids".

Xemnas came crashing down on her again. She blocked his ethereal blade with her Keyblade and fired a Dark Fission Flame at him. Xemnas grunted in pain and flipped backwards.

"Admirably done Shade," Xehanort said, making a sweeping movement with his left hand. "If I'd have know you were to become this powerful then I would have chosen you and not your twin." He smiled cruelly. "However, you are nothing to me now that I have my thirteen. You can just disappear."

Ansem sent his Guardian at her. Shade cartwheeled out of the way.

"Shade!" shouted a familiar voice. Shade turned to see Paul standing at the corner of the street with his ninjato in hand. "The fuck's happening?"

"Paul?" she gasped. "Paul get out of here!"

"Oh is he your friend?" Xehanort cackled. "Well I can remove him very easily."

He motioned to Xemnas to get Paul. Shade quickly dashed to him blocked the attack, before picking Paul and leaping away to the Square.

"Shade, what's going on?" Paul demanded, noticing the hole in her chest. "And...what's with that hole in your chest?"

"It's nothing, now go home! Get out of here!" Shade ordered.

"That tone...that's not like you...what happened, tell me!"

"Those men are evil! They'll kill you! Get out of here!"

"Not until you tell me what happened to you." Paul said firmly.

"Fine! I was tortured alright? _They _tortured me and no one came for me! Now save yourself, Paul! Don't worry about me..."

"Indeed you must not worry about her," Xemnas chuckled floating down in front of them like a ghost.

Shade growled at him and glanced at Paul.

"Sorry," she said before opening a dark corridor beneath him.

Paul fell through and Shade quickly closed the corridor behind him. As she turned to face Xemnas, he grabbed her and through her into a dark portal of his own.

XXX

_Dive into the Heart_

Shade sat with her legs crossed on the second pillar from her first visit. The Other Shade sat in front of her in the same position.

"That's it then?" Shade asked herself.

"That's it," Other Shade replied calmly. "If you want to protect the one you love then you need your full power."

"How do I get that?"

"We join. Then we'll be complete."

"I thought we couldn't?" Shade asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Now that you remember we can," Other Shade replied as she held out her hand. "I must warn you it'll hurt."

"But I don't have a choice," Shade countered taking her copies hand.

A bright light surrounded and engulfed them.

XXX

_Subeta -Research Lab, Dungeons-_

Shade woke up with a start.

"I remember it," she said darkly. "All of it."

* * *

**A/N:** Man this was a pain.

Fun.

But a pain.

Anywho over the next three-four chapters ****'s gonna go down.

Please review etc etc, you know the rest.


	45. Subeta Prt 3- The Beginning of the End

**Sora: **Hi guys! Just here to say that no money is being made from this story. The characters are all owned by Square Enix, the Walt Disney Company, Tetsuya Nomura, Hirononbu Sakaguchi and Walt Disney, except Shade, the other OCs as well as the plot. Please support the official release.

* * *

_Subeta -Research Lab, Dungeons-_

Shade looked around the dark, damp room. She pulled her arms and found them chained to the wall. Straining and yelling she managed to break the chains and free herself. She summoned her Keyblade and shot a Dark Firaga Shot at the door destroying it completely.

"Where are you old man?" she asked sniffing the air which resulted in her gagging. "Jesus Christ! That stench! I haven't smelled anything like that before! What the hell is Xehanort doing?!"

Still coughing Shade summoned her Keyblade and stormed out of the room. After a few turns (and thanking Kingdom Hearts she still knew the way) she came across a security door. Tutting in frustration she opened a dark pool in the ground.

"Glad a can still use Dark Haste..." she muttered before jumping into the pool.

Quick as a flash the pool dashed off, sliding under the door and darting through the corridors. ***A/N: **Dark Haste is pretty much the part of the Dark Impulse finisher where Terra (or Terranort) sinks into that pool, minus the jumping out and going LOOK AT MY HAND! It's purely for transport* When she came to the entrance of the lab she jumped out and landed gracefully outside. Making the pool disappear she began walking down the steps looking around the destroyed town. She smelled the air again, trying not to gag again.

"It's coming from the Town Hall!" she exclaimed as she started to run.

Not too long after though several Neoshadows, Darkballs and Shadows spawned in front of her, around thirty-five altogether. Shade prepared to slay them before the biggest Neoshadow held up its hands and made a raspy noise. Shade stopped but didn't let her guard down.

"What do you mean 'not here to kill me'?" Shade asked, eyeing the Neoshadow cautiously.

Again the Heartless 'spoke'.

"Wait...you're the ones from the Realm of Darkness!" Shade realised. "The ones who helped us!"

The Neoshadow nodded and made a few raspy growls.

"So you are my...underlings? Like in chess? I'm the King and you lot are my pieces?"

The Neoshadow nodded again.

"My friends are in trouble aren't they? Riku, the boy with slivery-blue hair and the others?"

The Heartless nodded again. Shade relaxed her weapon.

"Alright then, first you guys help me save my friends and then we find Master Xehanort and kill him. Got it?"

The pack of Heartless all made raspy/squeaky/growly noises in agreement. Shade smiled.

"Alright then," she said doing a dramatic point. "Let's go Team Super Awesome Alpha Wolf Squadron!"

The lead Neoshadow seemed to sweatdrop and made a raspy noise dryly.

"What do you mean that's a crap team name? I thought it was good..."

The Neoshadow made a sound that sounded a lot like 'whatever' before running off with the other Heartless and Shade to where Riku and the others were fighting.

XXX

_Subeta -Paul's House-_

Aqua stirred on the sofa.

"No...no..."

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Aqua walked out on to the barren wasteland, looking at the wartorn, crying landscape. She summoned her Keyblade and sighed before looking up, face full of determination._

_"The three of us will always be one," she said softly._

_**FAST FORWARD**_

_Aqua was kneeling down in her Keyblade Armour cradling a frozen blonde haired boy. _

'This is what Ven looks like...'

_A man in black boots, a dark slate grey jacket and a tattered red scarf walked up to them. He had black slicked back hair, a jagged scar over his left cheek and an eye patch covering his right eye._

_"How 'bout you leave the popsicle with me?" he asked in Californian surfer accent. "So you can go have your little fight with Terra?"_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Aqua clutched her head in pain. It was searing and pounding.

"No...Ven..." she whimpered.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Aqua woke up on the grey rock to find a mouse looking over her. This mouse's name was Mickey. King Mickey._

_"Gosh, thank goodness you're okay," he smiled._

_Aqua looked around in search of her friend, Ven. She spotted him on a flat circular platform and ran to him. He was holding a peculiar Keyblade. It looked like a normal broadsword and had two Kingdom Keys crossed over each other as a guard and hilt and a filigree and wearing a black and red bodysuit under his armour._

_"Ven you're safe!" she said happily looking at his face. "Ven?"_

_After a few seconds Ven looked at her evilly. His eyes were golden. Ven attempted to stab Aqua but it was blocked by Mickey's Star Seeker._

_"That's not Ven!" the mouse exclaimed._

_'Ven' chuckled sadistically. _

_"Correct," he said, Ven's voice overlapped with a darker voice. "I am not Ventus."_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Ow..." Aqua cried. "This is what happened before..."

She looked around the room. Slowly she stood up.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Aqua was in Radiant Garden. The sky was black and covered in storm clouds. Standing before her was a friend, Terra. She ran up to him._

_"Terra!" _

_Terra looked at her with golden eyes. He held out his hand to her, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up. Aqua struggled, gasping frantically for air._

_"Who...am I?" 'Terra' asked a dark aura radiating around him._

_"Such a...terrible darkness..." she breathed out. "Fight it...Terra please!"_

_"Terra...you say?" the man replied._

_For a moment 'Terra's' image changed to that of an old man with a silver goatee and a bald head, his mouth curled into a cruel smile._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Xehanort! After that we fought...and then to try and save Terra I followed him into the darkness and rescued him...!"

Suddenly she felt three separate strong spikes of darkness. One was Master Xehanort himself, the other was...Shade? And the final one was...off the scale...

Aqua ran out of the house and threw her Keyblade into the sky. It came down as a motorbike-like Keyblade glider. She mounted it and sped off to the darkness.

XXX

_Subeta -City Square-_

Master Xehanort stood on a building with a twisted grin of glee on his face as he watched the Heartless Mammon fight the Keyblade wielders and...one of the residents of Subeta's New Town. The fight had lasted longer than expected. Maybe the group _were_ worthy of the title Keyblade Masters. No matter Mammon would prove to them that they still had a long way to go.

Xehanort spotted something out of his eye.

"It can't be..." he whispered.

Running into the fray with a group of about thirty to thirty-five Heartless was Shade, the broken Heartless girl.

"This certainly is a new development."

"_YOU!_" shrieked an angry voice from behind him.

Xehanort turned slightly. Stood behind him was Aqua.

"Ah Master Aqua, this is a pleasant surprise," he said eeriely pleasantly.

"You're the one who ruined my life! No...the lives of Terra, Ven _and _me!"

"So you fought against your fate and escaped the Dark Realm...how interesting...and it looks like the failure is a Light as well. Fufufu..." He summoned his Keyblade; Darkness's Breath. "Aren't you going to stop me before the Second Keyblade War begins?"

"Shut up!" Aqua roared as she charged.

* * *

**A/N: **OMGOMOGOMGOMGOMG! I'm really psyched now! I just want to write the final battle and show you something AWESOME! *slaps own hand* Bad Shadowclaw, you will do it properly.

Read and review and I shall write as quick as I can!


	46. Subeta Prt 4- Shade's Ability

**Aqua: **The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Final Fantasy_, _Kingdom Hearts_ and_ Disney _characters are owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Hirononbu Sakaguchi, Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company...Do I really have to do this? I'm busy you know!

**Shadowclaw:** Oooooh someone's a bit touchy today :3 I only own my OCs and the plot, please support the official release.

* * *

_Subeta -Town Square-_

Shade stared at the giant six-armed monkey Heartless before her. Her pack of Heartless subordinates crowded around her, with the bigger-than-average Neoshadow standing next to her in a battle stance.

"You know what that is, Midori?" she asked it. The Heartless rasped a question. Shade shrugged. "Gotta call you something, right?"

The Heartless seemed to roll its eyes and started to speak. ***A/N: **From now the big Neoshadow is called Midori and will have speech, however only Shade can understand him, to the others it comes across as rasping*

"That is Mammon of Greed, one of the Seven Heartless Lords that control our kind. You stupid if you think you can take him on."

"Noted," Shade said stepping forward.

She watched Mammon fight Riku and his friends and...Paul? She'd have to ask about that later. She waited for Mammon to stop punching the ground then flared as much darkness as she could, enough for even those who weren't attuned to it to feel it. If they could feel it, Mammon certainly would.

Riku, the others and Mammon all turned.

"Shade?" Riku gasped when he saw her and the Heartless.

"Shade!" Paul shouted running up to her

"Stop!" she ordered him, holding up her free hand. "Don't come closer, just trust me."

Paul slowed to a stop when he noticed the Heartless too.

"What are you doing with those monsters?!" he demanded.

The whole pack growled/squeaked/rasped in offence.

"Easy guys, easy! You can't blame the guy, can you?" Shade told them before turning to Paul. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

_**You, little girl... **_Mammon boomed darkly.

"Oi! Less of the little!" she shouted, winking at Paul. "I'll have you know I'm average height. Taller than average actually."

_**Do not speak to me like that child of man!**_

"Ah ah ahhh, wrong," she taunted. "Would a child of man be able to control Heartless this naturally? I mean I know Xehanort can but he sucks, anyway, take a look at the darkness I'm giving off."

_**Hmmm...you're...like us...NO! You are half of us!**_

"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" Lea complained.

Shade glared at him, making him shut up, and turned back to face Mammon.

"Yes I am half human half-Heartless, and they are my friends so can you kindly leave them and this world alone?"

"Ahh, Shade, what are you doing?" Midori exclaimed.

_**How dare you speak to me with that tone halfling! I am one of the Heartless Lords, you are not even a full Heartless! You are below even the lowest ranking of our kind!**_

"_And YOU don't speak to ME like that!_" Shade roared, flaring every inch of her darkness taking Mammon by surprise. "Oh? Scared? I'm not too sure about Heartless society but I'm sure that this amount of darkness is only reserved to the strong ones right? So do as I say, just this once. Leave this world and never return."

XXX

_Subeta -Town Square-_

Riku hadn't anything like this before. Shade was surrounded by a large group of Pureblood Heartless and was giving a **giant-ass SUPER Heartless **a scolding! But he was afraid of what she now was. He could tell by the she carried herself that her memories had come back. All he could do was watch Mammon give its answer.

_**You...are something new. If you were a full Heartless, well...hahahaha, I wouldn't like to see that. **_

Mammon turned to a rooftop. Riku looked too and, to his horror, saw Master Xehanort in an intense battle with Aqua.

"Aqua!" he shouted.

XXX

_Subeta -Town Square-_

Aqua dodged another blast of ice. Her face was cut in several places and her Keyblade wielding arm broken, forcing her to fight with her left hand. Aqua fired a Thundaga Wave at Xehanort's legs, causing him to collapse.

It was then the giant monkey-Heartless roared.

_**On behalf our Leader, the Primordial, consider our contract...terminated!**_

"What?" Xehanort gasped as he got to his feet, still sparking and clearly shocked.

Mammon sank into a giant portal and disappeared with a tremendous roar. Xehanort looked at the scene below him. He saw Sora, Riku, the Princess of the Heart, the red-haired man who foiled his last plan, a boy and...

"No!" he growled.

XXX

Riku ran up to Shade followed by Sora and the others.

"Shade!" he shouted full of relief.

"Save it." she countered, clearly angry at him.

As if an automatic response the group of Heartless surrounding her tightened and the biggest Neoshadow jumped to the front. The Keyblade wielders took a defensive stance.

"Midori!" Shade said sternly.

The Heartless, Midori, turned and made a rasping sound in protest.

"I know I don't, but I can talk to him later, now stand down."

"What is she?" Sora whispered to him.

"My apprentice," was all Riku could say.

"She can talk to Heartless!" Kairi whispered, slightly worried.

"I know."

Riku watched Shade dismiss them all but Midori. She then started speaking to Paul.

"Long time no see," she said with her arms folded. "How have you been?"

"I...I..." Paul struggled. "I don't know...it's been lonely that's for sure."

"Well I'm back now and once I've done what I need to do, it'll be like old times," she smiled.

"Never! It will _not _be like 'old times'!" an angry elderly voice declared from a rooftop.

No sooner had everyone turned Aqua came crashing down on them in a heap. Shade glared at Master Xehanort while Riku and Kairi began healing Aqua.

"You!" she hissed.

"It seems your memories have returned my dear," Xehanort chuckled. "And it seems you have subordinates and respect of the Heartless. Hmhmhmhmhm...very well...Lerax!"

A dark corridor opened and Lerax walked out incredibly calm.

"Look what you have brought on yourself, Sister," he said emotionlessly.

"Lerax...?" Paul said in shock.

"That's not my brother," Shade growled. "He just looks like him."

Lerax smiled and summoned a black and red Keyblade, the mirror image of Shade's. He set up a ring of dark flames, trapping Shade and Paul in it.

Sora ran to help them but Midori held its arm out and made a low raspy noise, as if it were explaining something. Whatever it wanted, it seemed confident in Shade.

"So then, Sister..." Lerax chuckled darkly. "Think you can beat me?"

* * *

**A/N: **Officially, **** will go down in the next chapter or two.

Huzzah!

Also to that one guest who recently reviewed literally half an hour ago, (went by the name of Roxas) thank you very much :D


	47. Subeta Prt 5- Anything for You

**Paul:** Yo! Just here to say that no money is being made by this fanfiction, Square Enix and Disney own this, Shadow owns the OCs and plot. Please support the official release.

**A/N: **For this chapter, until stated otherwise, the music shall be **With Me (Massive Power Mix)- Crush 40**

* * *

_Subeta -Town Square-_

Lerax immediately disappeared, reappearing behind Shade. Shade, sensing his darkness and predicting where he would be dodge-rolled out of the way as he swiped at her. Paul took his chance to strike with his ninjato, but he was blocked by Lerax's Black Heart. The two entered a quick sword duel, metallic ringing sounded in the air.

"Not bad, Paul," Lerax said emotionlessly when the two clashed again. "You have been practicing."

"Damn it, Lerax!" Paul shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

The two jumped back and Lerax shot a Dark Waterga at him.

"Paul!" Shade shouted, pushing him out of the way and taking the blast. She picked him up. "Stay on your toes! He isn't human anymore. Neither of us are..."

"Got it."

Shade fired a Dark Volley at her brother. He ran out of the way, to which Shade Dark Hasted and cut him off, slashing him across the chest and ripping his cloak. Lerax growled and disappeared, reappearing at the other end of the battlefield.

"Shadow Bombardment!" he shouted, raising his glowing Keyblade to the sky.

Out of nowhere a horde of black orbs began raining down on Shade and Paul.

"Run!" Shade shouted.

Dodging the blasts Shade and Paul ran to Lerax. When they both reached him Lerax he fired a barrage of Dark Firagas at them. Paul, better prepared, ducked and struck him in the face with his ninjato, leaving a deep cut on his cheek.

Again Lerax tried to strike him with tip of Black Heart. Shade blocked and countered with an uppercut.

"Thanks," Paul nodded.

"Don't mention it," Shade said unleashing a combo on her brother. "We're friends right?"

Lerax growled and disappeared again, reappearing not so far from them.

"We don't need friends, Shade," Lerax said with a clenched fist. "We are more than the humans. We are Heartless. We don't friends or family."

"That's a lie!" Shade shouted. "Paul is my friend and yours too! Don't you remember?"

"I remember how he used to hurt you. He doesn't deserve your so called 'friends'"

"Hey that's low!" Paul protested.

"Is it?" Lerax asked rhetorically. "I seem to remember you being a weak crybaby all the time whenever he did something bad to you."

"Lerax..." Paul sighed. "I may have been a dick to Shade in the past. But she showed me that she was kind enough to put it behind her when I was in trouble." He looked at Shade. "She's so important to me. But what are you doing?" He raised his voice. "She's your sister! You were so close to her! And now you're trying to hurt her? That's bullshit, man! Whatever happened to you in the last two years it's not for the better. So that's why I'm going to stop you! For Shade and her friends!"

Lerax stare at him with disinterest.

"Have you quite finished?" he asked in a bored tone.

Paul growled is response. However Shade had taken this opportunity to Dark Haste behind Lerax and stabbed him from behind, piercing his stomach. Lerax glanced at her slightly and started to laugh.

"You really didn't think you could beat me that easily?" he asked pushing Midnight Fury back out of him.

"W...what...?" Shade asked in shock.

"Now then...it's time for you to vanish..."

Lerax closed his eyes and whispered; "Shadow Force."

Lerax disappeared in purple smoke. Shade and Paul looked around in worry until...

"Unnngh!"

(**End With Me (Massive Power Mix)**)

Shade turned in shock as Paul fell to his knees, his stomach slashed right open. The dark flames settled down and disappeared. Shade ran to catch her friend. Lerax gave a satisfied look, opened a dark corridor and left. Everyone else just watched in shock.

(**Always On My Mind-Kingdom Hearts OST**)

"Well..." Paul chuckled weakly. "This sucks..."

"Paul, just hold on alright! I'll heal you!" Shade said hysterically, frantically casting Curaga on him.

"You can't," Midori said bluntly.

"H-huh?" was all Shade could say through tears.

"That's a darkness wound with the darkness acting as poison. A quick one at that."

"But...but...!"

"Guess you can't huh?" Paul asked, coughing up blood.

"I can! I won't let you go!" Shade cried, tears falling down her cheeks. "We're finally back together again!"

"I...know...and I was glad that I got..." He coughed violently, spewing up more blood. "...that I got to see you again..."

Shade turned to everyone with wide and fearful eyes. Everyone looked back full of sadness, even the now healed Aqua.

"R-Riku...? You can heal him right?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Right?"

Riku shook his head.

"No!" Shade sobbed, hugging Paul tightly. "You can't die! It's not fair!"

"Ahhh...easy on the hugs..." he laughed. "I have got a hole in my stomach..."

"Y-you...you my first friend..." Shade said sadly.

"And I'm glad I was..." he said, coughing again, weakly putting a hand on her cheek. "Don't cry...Please don't cry..."

"Don't say stupid stuff, of course I'm gonna cry!" she shouted.

"Sorry... Shade? It looks like...it's going to be the last...time...I can say this but...I lo..."

His hand fell from her face as his last breath escaped him. Shade couldn't do anything but cradle her friend.

"Shade..." Riku said softly, trying to comfort her.

(**End Always on My Mind**)

"Don't you dare...!" she growled. "Don't you _dare_ act like you know me!"

"Shade?" Riku said slowly summoning Way to the Dawn.

"You...you've _known _about me...for ages now...ever since that incident in Neverland...and you didn't tell me."

"Yeah..."

"If you had told me...Paul could have survived! This just proves my point...I can only do this on my own!" Shade's darkness automatically flared.

* * *

**A/N: **The sixth and final part of the Subeta arc should be up by Monday at the latest. As usual leave a comment below on what you liked, what could be done better, so on and so forth.

Toodles.


	48. Subeta Prt 6 Dear You- Trust

**Riku: **The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and all_ Disney _characters are owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Hirononbu Sakaguchi, Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. Shade and the other OCs as well as the plot are property of Shadowclaw98.

Please support the official release.

**A/N: **For the fight of this chapter play **Yui **from the **Higurashi no Naku Koro ni **soundtrack.

* * *

_Subeta -Town Square-_

Shade stood up with her Keyblade bared. Riku motioned for the others to stay out of it and braced himself. Immediately Shade ran towards him and struck down on his Keyblade. Riku countered and kicked at her, knocking her to the ground.

Shade growled and attacked again, unleashing a Dark Solum combo on him. Riku blocked all the attacks. He jumped back and observed Shade. She was angry he could tell but...her darkness didnt seem as potent it seemed...mellow and sad. Riku sighed.

"You're not putting all your effort into this," he said calmly.

"Shut up!" Shade shouted.

"You're not. You're letting your emotions rule your head, have you forgotten what I taught you?"

Shade screamed, leaping into the air and trying to perform a downwards swipe on him. Riku calmly dodged and struck in the back with his elbow. She whipped round and tried to combo him but he blocked with his Keyblade.

Riku turned the Keyblade around in his hand and unleashed a combo with the blunt side. Shade blocked most of them but got caught out by the last strike, the blunt edge smacking her square in the stomach. She jumped back.

"Damn it!" she said gripping her stomach. "It was going to stop Xehanort my own way but you had to get in the way! If the worlds are destroyed it's all your fault, Riku."

Riku gave her a serious look. "I'm trying to help you Shade!" Then he had an idea. He grinned, causing Shade's face to soften for a second. "Tell you what. We settle this like we settled all those other disputes on all those worlds we've been to.*"

"What are you saying?" she growled, charging at him and striking him, only to have him block.

Riku fended her off.

"You better prepare yourself for when you lose!" Riku grinned.

"What do you plan to do to me?" Shade growled again.

"Obviously, you're going to take me out to dinner every evening. I'll have you dress up in feminine dresses of course, and you'll take me to the most expensive restaurants we can find. We'll start the meal with you kissing me and saying 'please enjoy your meal Mr. Riku' and finish with a long embrace outside the restaurant late at night. On top of that, you have to pay for all of it."

He finished with a rather smug, yet satisfied look that he and told her how he felt in a roundabout way.

Shade laughed. "That's a bit out of character for you Riku!"

Riku shrugged back and grinned. "I thought I'd take my chances."

The two charged again and locked Keyblades before trying to slash each other.

"You can do it, Riku!" Sora shouted.

"Come on Riku!" Kairi cheered, causing the rest to root for him.

Midori looked at them and then at Shade.

'_I know Master is powerful and has great potential...but.._" he thought_. _"_If it's this 'Riku's' fault why isn't she using all her strength?_'

Riku knocked Shade back a few steps. "We fought in Neverland once remember? Before Hook's ship? Don't you wish you could go back to that?"

"Of course I do," Shade said simply with a smile.

Riku smiled back. His plan was working.

"It's going to be a real pain to end this spar, right?" he asked, charging at her.

"Don't be a sore loser, Master!" Shade laughed, charging also.

The two clashed again, swiping and blocking each other's attacks.

'_Well..._' Riku thought. '_She's grown_'

They locked again.

"So to confirm this once more," Riku said with a smile. "If I win you take me out to the most expensive restaurants, pay for it all whilst wearing elegant and sexy dresses and such. And you have to introduce me as Honourable Master Riku to everyone you meet."

"Unless the outfits are gothic!" Shade grinned.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get Kaede and Amaya to design an array of gothic dresses for you."

"Hahaha nice! I'm not losing but that does sound fun! And if I win?"

Riku smiled and pushed her back. His voice was soft. "If you win...we'll fight Xehanort your way. I won't tell you what to do. You'll be in complete control."

Shade was shocked. At that moment all her anger vanished. She spoke again, this time her voice was soft and angerless, like it had been when they first met.

"That's a boring prize..."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You want to change it?"

"I...I want the same prize as you, Riku. I want you to take me to expensive restaurants wearing a nice suit and start it off with a kiss and say 'please enjoy your meal, Miss Shade' and when we've finished kiss and hold me on the street corner. I want you to make me happy...and wipe away my tears when I'm sad and lonely...With these stakes...even if I win...you'll be with me."

Riku smiled at her and nodded. For one final time the two clashed.

(**End Yui**)

Everyone held their breath. Metal clanged and rang in the air as Riku's Way to the Dawn was knocked out of his hand. He fell backwards and Shade sat on top of him, Midnight Fury raised above him.

"Haha. You've gotten stronger." Riku laughed.

"Guess I won the match then..." Shade said quietly.

"Nope. Not until you bring that down on me."

Shade looked at her Keyblade then at Riku. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"No..."

(**Riku's Theme- Kingdom Hearts II OST**)

She banished her Keyblade and hugged Riku, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't want to!" she cried. "Why I'm doing this? Why did it all turn out like this? Why did everything get so messed up?"

Riku looked at her. Slowly he cuddled her and held her close.

"I'm sorry...I can't begin to imagine the pain you went through." he said softly. "But I'll be here for you, do you understand that?" He lifted her chin and wiped her eyes. "I won't let you face this alone. And my friends will help you too."

Shade looked at Sora and the others.

"Any friend of Riku's is a friend of mine," Sora grinned, putting his arms behind his head.

"We'll beat Xehanort together," Kairi smiled.

"You already know the answer," Aqua said softly.

Lea casually smiled and nodded.

Midori walked up to Shade and Riku and kneeled before her. "I only exist to serve my Master" The rest of Shade's pack of Heartless appeared. "As do the rest of us."

"Are they on our side?" Riku asked Shade nervously.

Shade nodded and sniffed.

"Thank you," was all she could say.

Riku sat up and hugged her. "Our friends are our power."

(**End Riku's Theme**)

The rest all nodded in agreement. It was then that Sora's Keyblade glowed and pointed in the direction of the clock face on the town hall.

"The Keyhole!" Kairi exclaimed.

Sora pointed the Kingdom Key at it and a beam of light shot out, unlocking the sixth Keyhole of Requiem.

"Well we're done here," Sora said as a wail of sirens sounded.

"We'd better get out of here, we don't want any awkward questions." Lea said.

"But...what about Paul?" Shade asked.

"The authorities will sort it out," Riku said, standing himself and Shade up. "But we have to go."

Shade was hesitant but nodded. She turned to her Heartless. "You go back until I need you."

Midori nodded and the Heartless disappeared.

"Want a ride in our Gummi Ship?" Sora asked his friend.

"Sure," Riku smiled.

XXX

_Gummi Ship -Lanes Between-_

The group were all relaxed on the ship. It was on autopilot and cruising through space since the gang, now reunited had allocated themselves a break.

Then the computer monitor sounded. It was Yen Sid.

"Sora! Riku!" he said, prompting the young Keyblade wielders to stand to attention, but not before stumbling over each other.

"Master Yen Sid!" they both said.

"Sora, I see that you have found six of the seven Keyholes of Requiem. And Riku I have sensed that Shade is now ready to fight Organiation XIII."

Both nodded.

"Very well, I can tell you where your final task before the War lies."

The two waited with baited breath.

"Castle Oblivion."

* * *

**A/N:** I'd just like to take this time to say... *cries* I know it's late so please don't kill me! And Herald? Don't you dare feast on my tears again!

All joking aside, I am very pleased with how this turned out. And yes, after 30 chapters, Riku and Shade are going out! Jobs a good 'un.

Please leave thoughts and comments below.

*Riku, Shade and Aqua have been to about 30 different worlds in the timespan to balance the length of time it take to travel by Gummi Ship for the other group. Only the main worlds have been written.

'Til next time.


	49. Ventus

**Yen Sid:** The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and _Disney _characters are all owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Hirononbu Sakaguchi, Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company respectively. All OCs and the plot are owned by Shadowclaw98.

Please support the official release.

* * *

_Castle Oblivion_

The gang stood at the foot of the giant fortress. It's golden brown walls and turquoise spires shone in the eerie light. Riku sighed.

"Never thought I'd be here again," he said.

"You've been here before?" Sora asked curiously.

"Mhmm," Riku nodded. "So have you, you just don't remember."

Sora gave Riku a puzzled look. He waved it off. Aqua took a step forward and put a hand to the door. Her head ached a little.

"_Well...looks like you're here again,_" her voice said. "_Planning to check on Ven?_"

"Yeah..." Aqua said with a small smile.

Slowly she opened the door with a loud creak and the gang walked inside. Shade looked around the pearl white room and pouted. Riku looked at her and laughed.

"What's up?" he asked.

"There's too much white," she mumbled. "It's hurting my eyes."

"Then don't looked at it then," Riku chuckled put a hand on her shoulder.

"Eh? Put then I won't be able to see stupid!" Shade giggled.

"Ooooooh," came a voice from across the hall.

"Shut up Lea!" Riku said sternly.

"Ahh whatever!" Lea laughed.

The gang proceeded to wander around the halls, Aqua leading. Riku looked around the empty halls.

"The Heartless aren't around anymore," he noted.

"There were Heartless here?" Aqua asked, still walking.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, when the old Organization were here, but only on the thirteenth floor."

"I don't sense anything..." Shade said, furrowing her brow.

"Neither do I," Aqua agreed.

The group went through a few more twisting corridors. After a while Lea groaned.

"Hey, Aqua? Do you know where we're going?" he asked, clearly bored as the group climbed up the thirteenth flight of stairs.

"Yes," Aqua said turning a corner, the others followed.

"But everywhere looks the same!" he groaned.

"Trust me, I made this place," Aqua replied simply.

The group stopped suddenly.

"You made Castle Oblivion?" Riku asked in shock.

"Yup. Long story short Master Xehanort tricked my friend Terra into beating my Master Eraqus in combat. Xehanort killed Eraqus then destroyed my home the Land of Departure. When I came back the world was a mess. So I took Master Eraqus' Keyblade and locked it's Keyhole, changing it into this castle where all intruders are lost in oblivion."

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"Because," Aqua said stopping in front of a large door. "This is where Ven is."

She used her Keyblade to unlock the door, causing it to open. The group walked into a large circular room. The room was decorated with large symbols that Riku and Sora recognised as the Mark of Mastery emblem. In the centre of the room was a large throne with its back to them. (**Ventus's Theme- KH BBS OST**) Aqua ran to the other side of the throne and gave a relieved smile.

Sat like he was when he as left there all those years ago was the sleeping form of Ventus, hardly aged. His body looked fragile and like it would fall apart at the slightest touch. Aqua touched his cheek.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come for you sooner," she said fighting back tears. "I'm so, so sorry."

Sora stood beside her.

"That's Ven?" Sora asked. "He looks like Roxas."

"Told you," Lea laughed.

Sora looked at him to be quiet, than at Aqua.

"I...I have his heart inside mine," he told her quietly.

Aqua looked at him in shock. Her mouth slowly grew into a smile, her eyes watering slightly.

"Really?" she asked.

Sora nodded confidently.

Aqua grinned and stood up, summoning Master Keeper.

"This might feel strange but it won't kill you," she smiled. "Maybe."

"Huh?!"

Aqua giggled. "I'm kidding, just stand there."

She pointed to the spot a couple of metres opposite Ven. Sora complied. Aqua pointed Master Keeper at Sora. It glowed a radiant gold colour. From out Sora's chest shot a small heart. It flew across the room into Ven's body.

Aqua kneeled next to him, a slightly worried look on her face. "Ven?"

Slowly Ven stirred and opened his eyes. "...Aqua?"

"Ven!" Aqua shouted joyfully, crying and death glomping him. "Ven! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"A-Aqua...can't breathe!" he choked out.

"Ah...sorry," Aqua said sheepishly, letting go and wiping her eyes.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, stretching.

"Oh, about thirteen and half years," Lea grinned, walking next to him.

"You're...Lea?!" Ven exclaimed. "But...you're...you're an adult!"

"Well some of us haven't been in a place where time doesn't flow properly for the last few years, got it memorized?"

Ven laughed and looked at everyone, his eyes finally resting on Sora.

"You're the boy who helped me, right? Sora's your name."

"Er...yeah I guess..." Sora replied, not really knowing how to respond.

"Thanks," Ven smiled before turning to Aqua. "So what's happened while I've been gone?"

"I'm not too sure...Terra's lost to darkness and Master Xehanort has returned wanting to remake the blade."

"Actually...Terra's sort of ok," Sora said, causing Aqua to look at him.

"I think his soul is inside his armour," Kairi explained. "We met him at the Keyblade Graveyard and no he's off training."

"So Terra's alright?" Aqua asked.

(**End Ven's Theme**)

Before Sora could respond a loud explosion shook the castle. Shade grabbed her head.

"Shade?" Riku asked her checking to see if she was alright.

"Darkness...BIG darkness! Entrance hall...It's...it's definitely Xehanort but...his darkness isn't as mature..."

Riku looked at Sora and Aqua. "I know who this is, Aqua, Sora come with me. We're gonna need to be prepared for this."

* * *

**A/N: **Not as badass as the last chapter but I don't think anything I write can top that at the moment. But Ven's awake! Yaaaay! *has a small party*

**Shade: **You're lonely aren't you?

*sniffs* yup.

Anyway, leave comments below, the next chapter is another setup up chapter for the new plotbunny that came into my head last week. No it's not for a completely different ending to the Xehanort Saga, it's for a story that takes place between KHIII and KHIV.


	50. Shadow of the Unknown

**Aqua: **What? Me again? But we're a hurry here! *sighs* fine. This a non-profit fanfic, Shadowclaw only owns the OCs and the plot. Firewinde is owned by Shadowclaw and HeartofFyrwinde. Please support the official release.

* * *

_Castle Oblivion_

Aqua, Riku and Sora ran down the halls of the castle, the footstep echoing round them. The explosion had shook the castle pretty hard as several walls were cracked or partially demolished in places.

After they turned a few more corners Aqua began to feel a little light headed.

"Hey, Voice? What are you doing?" she asked as she shook her head.

No response.

Aqua looked down the corridor. Her vision was twisting and blurry. The walls seemed contorted and the corridor was spiralling.

She stopped and leaned against the wall and grabbed her head. It was pounding, but it wasn't her usual psychotic headaches. She slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. Her headache had disappeared and the corridor had changed to a large expansive plain covered in lush vegetation.

It was surrounded by two giant plateaus. At one end of the plain was a greeny-blue ocean. She looked behind her. Towering above her on thick mound of hard granite was a huge tower that seemed to touch the perpetually starry, sun drenched sky. It was black and brown with tall gothic spires and several gears and brass chimneys sticking out every which way. It seemed to be made of a mix of brick, brass and, strangely, crystal. It cast a long shadow across the plain.

"Sora...Riku?" she asked slowly looking around.

"Your friends are not in this world," a deep, rich voice said.

Aqua looked around in panic. "Who's there?!"

"You have lost your way," the voice said enigmatically, only now it resonated behind her. Aqua whirled round.

Stood behind her was a tall, broad-shouldered man that looked as though he had stepped out of the 1930s. He was wearing a completely black suit, covered by an open grey trench coat. On his feet were thick-soled dress shoes and, shadowing his face, was a dark grey fedora with a black band. On his back was thin black-bladed gunblade. He gave off a powerful, mysterious aura, stronger than that of Master Xehanort's, but without the malice. Nevertheless, Aqua knew he wasn't to be taken lightly.

"Who are you?" Aqua demanded summoning her Keyblade. "Where am I? And what do you mean?"

"I am a watcher of the worlds. I am here to keep them in check, Master Aqua."

"How do know my name?"

"I know all about you Master Aqua. You've certainly come a long way."

Aqua faltered. Although she couldn't be sure, maybe it was the way he shifted, but she could swear he was smiling beneath the shadows of his hat.

"Can you at least tell me your name? It's considered a common courtesy of battle for your opponent to know your name."

The man chuckled. "You can call me Firewinde."

"What do you want?" Aqua asked again.

(**Eidolons- Final Fantasy XIII OST**)

"You're close but it's time for a recap." Firewinde said drawing his gunblade. Upon closer inspection the gunblade's stock and hilt was modeled after an old Thompson sub machine gun. "Are you prepared to face the darkness ahead?"

Aqua watched him enter a battle stance ***A/N: **think Lightning's from FFXIII*. She gritted her teeth.

"Looks like there's only one way out of this," she muttered entering her own.

Before she could react he was already in front of her unleashing a rapid string of combos. Aqua barely had to time to block them; every time she stopped one she had to move to block another. She swung her Keyblade, her feet moving backwards frantically to keep up.

"Your footwork is sloppy," Firewinde said as he made a vertical slash.

Aqua ducked, Matrix-style, and shot a Fira at him, which he dodged.

"Predictable," he sighed.

Aqua began to attack the man with a complex string of magic enhanced Stun Edges which he effortlessly dodged. Aqua swore loudly and put more strength into her attacks. On the final swing of her combo Firewinde grabbed the teeth of the Keyblade in one hand, stopping it completely.

"Wha...?" Aqua gasped.

"Thundaga!" Firewinde yelled, pointing his gunblade at the sky and causing a devastating lightning bolt to strike down on Aqua.

Aqua screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through her body.

"Do you remember the pain you went through all those years ago?" Firewinde asked, swiping at her again.

Though Aqua was still sparking she locked against his blade. Gritting her teeth and putting all her strength into it, she spun them out of the lock. However, Firewinde came around again and the two locked blades for a second time.

"Don't let that anger cloud your judgement, Master Aqua," he stated as they struggled. From underneath his hat Aqua caught a sharp gleam from his eyes as their gazes met. "Let it become one with your sense of justice!"

Aqua snarled with effort, using her agility to smash him back.

The man easily backed away. "Forge yourself anew...become what you were meant to be!"

He surrounded himself with a glowing golden aura as his sword changed to the submachine gun it was modelled after. He pointed it at Aqua, one handed, and a stream of light bullets poured out at her. Aqua cartwheeled out of the way but the bullets just kept coming. She stopped for a second to look at her opponent. He was reloading. She silently counted the seconds. Three. Without warning he unleashed another onslaught, which Aqua blocked with barrier and counted how long the onslaught lasted, silently praying it would hold. Five. Firewinde reloaded again, following up with a third barrage. Aqua ran to the right and counted the five seconds until he need to reload, unleashing a Lightbloom shotlock when he did. The projectiles hit him head on, forcing him up into the air. Firewinde flipped over and landed on his feet.

Suddenly out of the barrel of his gun fired several golden bullets that floated around her and began to fly into her at deadly speeds. As Aqua tried to dodge the bullets, Firewinde came at her again, his gunblade in sword form now. Again Firewinde unleashed a deadly string of combos which Aqua blocked with great difficulty as the bullets tried their hardest to hit her.

Aqua saw an opening. Quickly she ducked under his swing and used an uppercut attack, sending him high into the air. She jumped and prepared an aerial combo.

"Not bad," Firewinde complimented. "But not good enough!"

He grabbed her wrist and flung her to the right side plateau. She smashed into the wall, the force causing the rocky wall to crack. Aqua landed on the grassy ground, her body aching all over. She slowly got to her feet as Firewinde appeared in front of her.

"You still want to go on?" he asked.

"I...have friends waiting for me..." she panted. "So..._Blackout!_"

A swirl of dark blue energy span round her and hit Firewinde, blinding him. Aqua took this time to heal and fire a Triple Blizzaga at him. It hit Firewinde in his right arm, freezing it slightly. Firewinde put his free hand over it and cast Esuna, unfreezing it.

"Better," he said as he swung into his most powerful combo.

'_That's...that's Terra's attack!_' Aqua panicked as she was caught completely off guard and was hit by every slash; all twenty of them.

However, at the end of the combo Aqua managed to kick him back. She took her chances and ran to the plateau wall, jumped off the ground and began to dash up it. Firewinde watched her, an unnoticeable smile forming on his lips.

He too dashed up the wall, chasing Aqua.

"Fire!" he roared, dramatically bringing his blade forward and sending three pillars of fire after the blue haired woman.

Aqua looked behind her and managed to somehow dodge the three pillars. She jumped up and landed on the grassy top of the plateau followed swiftly by Firewinde who immediately set off with long, complex combos on Aqua.

She switched between offence and defence, encasing her Keyblade with alternating covers of fire, ice and electricity and managed to block and strike Firewinde a few times, but it always felt allowed.

"Fire!" the man yelled, thrusting his blade forward, a small fireball already building at the tip.

Aqua looked around her as the world turned white-hot in a deafening blast that flung her upwards.

Once she'd recovered they kept fighting.

"Watch your form," Firewinde said as he took a leap back and twirled his gunblade above his head in a complex flourish. "Wind!"

The air around Aqua began to swirl until it created a terrifying vortex with Aqua trapped inside. After Aqua was thrown around a few times, the tornado disappeared and Aqua was thrown of the edge of the plateau. She managed to slow her descent by stabbing her Keyblade into the wall.

When she landed she found herself near the granite mound that the twisted tower was on. Firewinde appeared before her again and began unleashing a flurry of Firaga spells at her not even stopping to shout the incantation. Aqua blocked and fired a Thundaga Shot at him. Firewinde coolly moved out the way before dashing up to her with inhuman speed, grabbing her by the throat. He spun and threw her upwards, high into the sky before appearing next to her and throwing her on to a large balcony on the side of the tower.

Again Aqua got to her feet as Firewinde appeared on the balcony.

"You're tiring," he noticed.

"I won't give up!" Aqua roared unleashing a string of combos she didn't think she was capable of.

Firewinde had trouble blocking these. He smiled slightly, letting his guard down, he avoided the fatal final blow but it knocked his fedora clean off.

Finally Aqua saw the man's face.

(**End Eidolons**)

He looked to be in his mid to late forties with storm grey eyes and dark brown hair that was greying at the temples. He also had a fine dark brown beard and moustache.

After a long, intense pause Firewinde let his face show a wise, relaxed smile. Aqua slumped, exhausted and full of relief. He bent down and picked up his fedora very calmly. Dusting it off, he put it on his head and turning to walk away.

"Wait...!" Aqua panted. "Who...are you...?"

The man stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "You're not the only ones in charge of protecting the worlds," he said, clicking his fingers.

The world seemed to contort and twist again as he walked off. Aqua's head began to pound again. She collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

**A/N:** Well that was intense. Think of this as more setup for the go between of KHIII and KHIV. Good times.

Also thanks to my new beta **HeartofFyrwinde** for helping me write this and generally allowing me to bounce ideas off him (I'm assuming you're he :3) even though I'm, like, fifty chapters in. Ah well, better late than never I always say.

Or is that better out than in?

No that's Shrek...

Sorry I'm rambling aren't I?

Anyway leave what think below etc etc.


	51. Critical Mode! Part 1

**Sora:** Umm...Riku...why are you cowering in the corner?

**Riku:** *Having traumatizing flashbacks* You don't understand, he's not human!

**Sora: **Um...

* * *

_Castle Oblivion_

"Aqua!" Riku shouted as he cradled the unconscious girl. "Wake up!"

Aqua began to stir, slowly putting a hand to her head. "Ugh..."

Above her, Riku breathed a sigh of relief; "Oh thank goodness."

"Geez Aqua don't do that!" Sora smiled.

"What...?" Aqua asked dazedly, a little nauseous. "Where's...Firewinde?"

Riku frowned at Sora, who did the same back. "Who?"

Instead of answering Aqua tried to stand up. She promptly lost her balance. The only reason that she didn't faceplant against the marble floor was because Riku and Sora quickly caught her and set her against the wall.

"Firewinde...! The man in the grey trench coat who I fought in...What the hell was that place...?"

Sora and Riku looked at each other completely confused.

"There was no man Aqua..." Riku said. "We were heading for the source of the explosion when you just collapsed, unconscious."

"But...I remember it clearly...we fought!" Aqua protested, becoming slightly stressed.

"It could've been a dream," Sora said trying to calm her.

"But it felt so real..." Aqua said quietly. "I remember every attack he used! He even used Terra's Ars Solum!"

Riku sighed and looked at the ground before looking at Aqua.

"You should stay here," he said.

"But-"

"Aqua, don't worry," Sora assured her. "We'll handle this."

With that Sora and Riku ran to the source of the explosion leaving Aqua alone to go over what had happened.

It didn't work very well

XXX

_Castle Oblivion_

Sora and Riku ran into the entrance hall and stared at the utter destruction of it in dismay. The towering doorway had been completely demolished, leaving white rubble strewn across the floor. All that was left was a jagged gaping hole that stared off into the inky black darkness which let a large draft in. The walls to the sides were cracked and crumbling and several support pillars had been knocked down.

Stood where the door once was, was a tall figure with spiky silver hair and amber eyes.

"You!" Sora growled summoning his Keyblade.

"So, your quest for the Seven Lights as led you here," the young Xehanort said. "I must admit we were quite surprised at how managed to fed off Mammon on Subeta as well as calm down the mistake." He looked Riku. "I suppose being immune to the darkness has its advantages."

"What are you doing here, Xehanort?" Riku demanded.

"Why, I'm here to test you on behalf of my most future self," the young man replied.

"Test?" Sora repeated hotly. "You guys have spent the last six months trying to kill us!"

"Forgive me," Xehanort said as he bowed slightly. "The ones who tried to kill you were rash in their judgements and shall be punished accordingly."

"But they're dead..." Sora said, puzzled. "Cyrus, Laylah..."

"Tesla too..." Riku said quietly.

"So you think," Young chuckled. "Did you really think we would want you all dead? You are key to forging the blade!"

(**L'Impeto Oscura- KH3D: DDD OST**)

Young summoned his Keyblade and entered his battle stance.

"The Second Keyblade War is almost upon us and we _will_ have what is ours!"

Sora ran up to the dark Keyblade wielder, much to Riku's chagrin. He took a swipe at the man but Xehanort dashed sideways, leaving a slight afterimage of himself, before seemingly teleporting to Sora's location and unleashing a wave of deadly combos which left Sora on the ropes.

"Fire!" Riku shouted shooting a Dark Firaga at Young.

The crackling flame hit him square in the face. Riku followed up with a series of Flame Edges and kicked him back before covering Sora. Sora slowly got to his feet and cast Curaga on himself. He looked at Riku as he felt the cool aura wash over and heal him.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, slightly panicky.

"Don't do head on charges at him," Riku said as he fired a flurry of Firagas at Xehanort. "He's fast and will catch you off guard. I should know I fought him to save you back in The World That Never Was."

Xehanort dashed up to them and tried to hit Riku, but Riku countered with a Dark Shield, following up with a fast Dark Aura combo, forcing Xehanort to jump back. Xehanort gritted his teeth and unleashed a shotlock of sizzling blue orbs. The dozen or so orbs surrounded Sora and Riku. The two heroes looked at them.

"Run..." Riku said quietly.

"What?" his friend asked.

Riku whipped his head to look at Sora. "Just run!"

The two ran in opposite directions as several whip-like projectiles shot out of the orbs, piercing the ground and creating a complex web of glowing energy. Sora dodge rolled underneath them while Riku ducked and dived out of their reach.

It was then that Young Xehanort dashed up to Riku and kicked him to the far wall, before setting his sights on Sora.

"The Keyblade's chosen one," he stated, daring Sora to come attack him.

"This is for what you did to all of them!" Sora yelled, clashing his Keyblade against Xehanort's, the grating of steel ringing in the air.

"You fool," Xehanort chuckled. "You cannot blame me for something I have not yet done."

Sora pulled away unexpectedly, causing Xehanort to stumble a little, and fired a complex string of Firaga and Blizzaga spells, finishing with a Triple Plasma. Xehanort growled and back up again.

Xehanort encased his Keyblade in dark flames and let out a flurry of lightning fast jabs at Sora. Sora backed away hurriedly but the jabs kept coming. Xehanort quickly tripped him up and continued with the assault. Sora quickly fired a Sparkga at Xehanort's face. He yelled in pain and grabbed his face.

"You little...!" he snarled.

Sora fumbled about in his pocket and pulled out a Summon charm at random. It was Stitch's. Sora held the charm up. Light poured out from it and formed the shape of Stitch, the little blue, dog-like alien, leaving Xehanort stunned. Stitch turned to Sora.

"Sorah!" he shouted giving the boy a hug.

"Now's not the time Stitch!" Sora shouted.

Stitch turned around to see Xehanort fuming.

"What on earth is that?!" he growled. "It's...disgusting!"

"Also cute and fluffy!" Stitch said happily.

Xehanort roared and sent his Keyblade down on Stitch

"Blue punch-buggy! No punch back!" Stitch panicked as he scuttled away from the Keyblade wielder.

Sora got up and prepared to fight Xehanort again, just as Stitch pulled out his plasma pistols. With Stitch covering him Sora ran at Xehanort and unleashed a fast string of attacks at him. Xehanort dodged most of them, but was caught off guard when Stitch scuttled out from Sora's feet and shot him in the chest. The man stumbled, clutching his chest just as Sora ended with his Explosion finisher.

Xehanort was flung backwards and landed in a heap. Stitch jumped up and hi-fived Sora.

"Don't think you've won just yet!" Young breathed.

Sora and Stitch watched him closely as he got up.

To Sora's horror Xehanort slowly turned himself invisible.

"Now try and stop me!" Xehanort laughed.

Sora looked around completely on edge and paranoid, thinking of where Xehanort could be. From the corner of his eye he saw Riku struggle to his feet. Then it hit him.

Sora quickly ran over to his friend, followed by Stitch, and brought the Kingdom Key in front of Riku, stopping and knocking the now visible Xehanort's Keyblade out of his hands. Xehanort jumped back, dodging a quick Dark Firaga that Riku fired and glared at them.

"Thanks," Riku said to his friend and picking up his Keyblade.

"Don't mention it," Sora replied with a smile.

Xehanort growled at them, but quickly regained his composure.

"You think you have me beaten?" he smiled summoning his blades; Retribution. "Then you are foolish for thinking that."

Sora, Riku and Stitch braced themselves for the second part of the battle.

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

**A/N: **Quick Shade, turn off Critical!

**Sh: **It's not turning off Shadow-nii! What'll we do?

**SC: **There's only one thing I can do...Write the next chapter!

**Sh: **But you have college the next three days! You won't have time!

**SC:** Then I'll make time!

So leave your comments at the bottom with what you thought :)


	52. Critical Mode! Part 2 True Fear

**Sora: **Really? You want me to do a disclaimer _now?! _

* * *

_Castle Oblivion_

Young Xehanort summoned his blades and entered his battle stance. Sora, Riku and Stitch entered their own.

"In my time I have only just begun to use the Keyblade," Xehanort drawled. "I am much more comfortable using these."

(**Dark Impetus- KH BBS OST**)

Xehanort seemingly appeared in front of them and began a lethal, lengthy combo on Sora. Sora couldn't even block and was subsequently cut and bloodied. Stitch immediately set about firing on Xehanort, doing some damage but not much. Riku tried to jar one of the blades but he got stabbed in the arm with other.

Somehow Sora managed to get free and cast a Curaga on himself. Xehanort looked at him with a cruel smile. He ran for Sora again but Sora dodge rolled out of the way. Riku took his chance to attack Xehanort behind and unleashed a lengthy combo on him, but Xehanort countered with Renewal Barrier, following up with a flurry of fast slashes.

Stitch jumped up and tried to fire at him but Xehanort kicked the little alien at the wall. He disappeared as the time had run out.

Sora fired a Firaga at the young man, but Xehanort warped to the other side of the battlefield.

"What the...?" Sora asked in shock.

"Don't stand still!" Riku shouted as he pushed him away from a quick combo, both landing on the floor.

"What the hell is he?!"

Riku sighed and fired a Dark Firaga at Xehanort. It tracked his rapid movements and hit him in the side. Xehanort growled and summoned four copies.

"...Now that's just cheating." Riku deadpanned.

The four clones all assaulted Sora and Riku, forcing them to run to separate ends of the room as Xehanort laughed at their attempts to beat him. Sora cast a Thundara spell which destroyed the two that were following him, then ran over to Riku, who was caught up in a pincer attack of Xehanort's death slices.

"Oh no you don't!" Xehanort said surrounding himself in three pillars of fire and running at Sora.

Sora barely had anytime to avoid and caught hit by the pillars just as Xehanort pulled out another death combo. Sora blocked and countered. He continued running to Riku and destroyed the two clones just in the nick of time. He cast Curaga on Riku and helped him.

"Are you still able to fight?" he asked.

"No problem," Riku replied with a smile.

"Good," Xehanort smiled, jumping up and creating a lasso of energy and sending it in Sora's direction.

The Collision Magnet pulled Sora to the young Xehanort. Riku managed to perform a Dark Raid on the man, freeing Sora from his grasp. Xehanort, not fazed, sent out a dozen of the sizzling orbs again. The all fired on Sora and Riku, both of whom just managed to dodge.

Xehanort tsked and launged an X-shaped energy slash at Sora. It hit him, causing massive damage.

"Sora!" Riku shouted.

Xehanort, not wanting Riku to get in the way again, summoned his clones and had them all attack him as he made his way to Sora. Sora got up and tried to attack. Xehanort blocked with Renewal Block and attacked with a Sonic Impact, knocking Sora high into the air.

"So the famous Chosen One is no match for me?" Xehanort gloated as he grabbed Sora by the throat.

Sora tried to claw away Xehanort's grip, his legs kicking at him.

"I guess you're just another average Keyblade Wielder," he continued."You don't have what it takes to be a Master. For example you missed the first of Requiem's Keyholes because you were too busy focused on that girl. We had Vanitas seal it for you. By rights that means you should have failed the exam. But Yen Sid is so desperate for Keyblade wielders that he'll take anyone." He forced Sora to look at Riku. He was lying on the ground with multiple stab wounds on his body, blood pooling out. "He doesn't deserve the title."

He threw Sora on the ground next to his friend.

"So...ra..." Riku wheezed.

(**End Dark Impetus**)

Xehanort walked up to them wearing a dark smirk.

"I guess we could always find more Keyblade wielders," he smiled, preparing to bring his blades crashing down on them.

(**The Summoned- CCFFVII OST**)

But Xehanort stopped suddenly; he'd heard a new sound.

It was the growl of an engine, quiet, but rapidly getting louder.

The young man frowned "What's that...?"

His question was answered when, with a deafening roar, a huge black motorcycle soared over the rubble. It turned as it landed, skidding straight into Xehanort, knocking him back into the wall.

Sora's face lit up when he saw the bike's riders.

"Cloud! Tifa!"

"Hey," Cloud said as he popped open the compartment and withdrew his Fusion Swords in their full form before dismounting. "We were tracking Sephiroth; felt the darkness here."

Tifa smirked as she tugged at her gloves. "You look like you could use a little help."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**A/N: **Yes. The next chapter will be badass.

That is all.

Now review my minions!


	53. Critical Mode! Part 3 Turnaround

**Shade: **You know the drill don't you? We don't own anything in this story, save for the OCs and plot and we are NOT doing this for money.

Please support the official release.

* * *

_Castle Oblivion_

Shade and the others ran through the twisting maze of corridors, eventually coming across Aqua sat against the wall curled into a ball with her head in her hands. Ven, worried for his friend, ran up to her and crouched down, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Aqua?" he asked trying to lift her head up.

"The kitty's angryyyy," Aqua replied in a giggly sing-song voice.

Ven looked at her, a little frightful. "W-what?"

"Kitty doesn't like people who trick us, hehehehahahaha."

"Aqua." Shade said sternly, summoning her Keyblade just in case.

"Whaat?" Aqua giggled again. "I'm not doing any harm, hehehe..." She looked at the frightened Ven before lashing out at him and laughing maniacally. "Your face!"

"Aqua?" Ven asked cautiously as Shade took a step closer.

"Awww," Aqua giggled in a cute way. "You're scared of us." She gasped and pointed behind Ven. "Don't move."

Aqua crouched on her hands and knees, then pounced just as Ven moved out of the way. Ven watched her as she tried to catch on invisible mouse, meowing a little. He looked at Shade, shocked at Aqua.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"Long story short, Aqua hallucinates and acts crazy from time to time," Shade replied as she walked to Aqua. "Aqua, there's a fight going on, snap out of it!"

Aqua turned around quickly, staring at Shade but obviously not seeing her.

"Do you know what that condescending _bitch_ said to me after our first spar?!" she spat bitterly.

"Aqua," Shade said seriously.

"Even I don't call her by name anymore-"

**SLAP!**

Everyone was stunned at Shade's sudden outburst as she grabbed the scared Aqua by the collar and lifted her up.

"I know you have problems Aqua, and I'm sorry," she said calmly. "But right now our friends are in danger. So you have to be calm and not get yourself worked up!"

She dropped Aqua who had come back to her senses.

"Sorry..." was all she could say as she stood up. "Let's go fight that darkness."

She turned and ran to the entrance, followed by the others.

She couldn't even bring herself to look Ven in the eye.

XXX

_Castle Oblivion -Entrance Hall-_

Cloud and Tifa stood opposite Young Xehanort, between him and the two boys.

"So you're the source of the darkness," Cloud noted calmly.

Xehanort didn't say anything.

"Cloud...he's strong," Tifa whispered, readying herself.

Cloud nodded and entered his battle stance. Xehanort readied Retribution again.

Tifa turned to the boys. "Stay out of this, patch yourselves up."

(**Those Who Fight Further- Black Mages**)

Cloud started off by shooting a Fira at the silver haired man. Xehanort calmly dodged the spell and rushed towards the blonde. The two clashed blows, Cloud's heavy sword crashing down on the thin neon blue blades.

Xehanort smiled to himself as he dodged an oncoming blow, but the smile quickly faded when Cloud swung the giant blade around and brought it crashing into Xehanort. The man barely blocked it and was knocked to the side.

It was now that Tifa made her move. She punched the man by surprised, knocking him over. Xehanort quickly recovered and dismissed Retribution. He entered a fighting stance. The two rushed at each other. Tifa swung a powerful punch at him, forcing Xehanort to duck. She jumped up and used Falcon's Dive to smash him into the ground. Xehanort encased his foot in fire and blocked the kick, burning Tifa.

Cloud, who had been watching the two fight, re-entered the fray. He thrust the sword forwards, catching Xehanort off guard, then jumped into the air and brought the complete Fusion Sword smashing down on the young man.

Xehanort rolled away just in the nick of time. He quickly jumped to his feet. He encased himself in flame and charged at Cloud and Tifa. Cloud jumped out of the way, but Tifa got hit.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted.

"I'm...alright, just a scratch," Tifa said with a reassuring smile.

Xehanort on the other hand dismissed the flames and span round as ran, skidding to halt. Cloud charged again, slashing at Xehanort who blocked the sword with his arms, forcing Cloud back. Tifa took her chance and dashed to Xehanort, unleashing a fast combo of punches, smacking Xehanort in the face and breaking his nose. Xehanort returned the notion and and roundhouse kicked Tifa in the face and breaking hers.

Angry, Tifa launched a Blizzaga above Xehanort's head. Xehanort grabbed his head as the ice crystals fell down and dug in, breaking in the process.

"You...You're not even a Keyblade wielder!" he roared, getting more and more annoyed.

Xehanort summoned Retribution and threw them like daggers at her. Cloud blocked and protected her with his sword.

"Hmph. You're even fit to wield one," Cloud retorted before glancing at Tifa behind him. "You look out of breath. You should sit down."

"And let you hog all the fun?" Tifa laughed. "I don't think so."

Cloud let out a small smile before charging at Xehanort again. Xehanort recalled Retribution and started a fast combo of slashes at the man, catching Cloud a little off guard and stabbing him multiple time in the chest.

"Cloud, back off!" Tifa cried. "Let me handle him!"

Grunting in pain, Cloud backed off and let Tifa start punching again, trying her best to do as much damage to the man as possible, but Xehanort kept dodging them. They kept it up for a good three minutes; punching, dodging, punching, dodging, punching, dodging.

However Tifa was so relentless that Xehanort knew that he couldn't hit her. He watched her, trying to find an opening but it was impossible to keep up. It was then that Tifa performed a sweeping low kick, catching Xehanort off guard. He stumbled over and landed on the ground. Tifa leaped into the air and charged her fist with golden energy before slamming it straight into Xehanort's chest.

Xehanort screamed and coughed up blood before teleporting away to the other end of the entrance, hunched over and grabbing his chest.

"You...bitch!" he growled.

"Your ribs are broken," Tifa stated. "You should retreat."

Xehanort roared and, summoning Retribution again, charged at Tifa. Cloud intervened and struck him back with his sword.

"If you won't listen to reason," he said. "I'll force you to retreat."

Xehanort yelled, his annoyance turning into all out anger.

How could these...these people, these _ordinary, normal, non-special PEOPLE_, be stronger than him?!

"I'm not having this..." Xehanort growled. "_Not at all!_"

Xehanort charged again and prepared to strike Cloud. Cloud blocked and quickly followed with an upward slash, launching Xehanort into the air.

Covered in a wispy dark blue aura he threw the Fusion Swords into the air, dismantling them, before jumping himself. As quick as lightning he grabbed one of the swords and darted through Xehanort, slashing him before picking up another and repeating then grabbing another and another. When all were used he flung himself up higher as wispy images of Cloud struck Xehanort with five of the swords. Cloud then brought the main blade down on Young Xehanort, slashing his chest from the neck to the waistline.

(**End Those Who Fight Further**)

Cloud landed on his feet, catching the sword in one hand. In contrast, Young Xehanort landed in a heap.

"I warned you," Cloud said dryly.

A dark corridor appeared beneath the fallen Xehanort, pulling him in before disappearing.

Tifa turned to the boys and began healing them.

Sora and the healing Riku stared at what had just happened.

"That guy was a _dick!_" Sora said.

"Hnh," Cloud grunted as he started reassembling the Fusion Swords.

"Seen worse," Tifa said with a slight smirk.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, a little curious.

"Well...there was this old perv in Traverse Town called Don Corneo..." Tifa started with an obvious smirk on her face.

Cloud stopped a little, blushing. '_Oh god not this..._'

"It was the one time Cloud gave up his Man Card to help me," Tifa grinned.

"Huh?" Sora asked, pausing to think it over. "No...!"

"That means..." Riku started.

"You dressed up as a _girl?_" they both asked in shock.

Cloud turned and glared at Tifa, blushing bright red. Tifa giggled.

Sora shrugged and put his arms behind his head, grinning his goofy grin. "Well I saw a girl dress up as a boy a few times. Not too different."

Riku couldn't contain himself and started laughing in hysterically, rolling on the floor.

It was then that Shade and the others burst in, Keyblades bared.

"Hey..." Shade said whilst looking around with a sulky pout. "Did we miss it all?" She glance at the ROFLing Riku. "Didn't think people actually did that..."

* * *

**A/N: **It's over! The Young Xehanort battle that is not the...the story.

I was fuelled by Fanta and chocolate (Cadbury's! :'D ) whilst writing this and am now watching Horrible Histories.

Charles Darwin is singing.

Yeah I know.

Anyway, please review.

We're entering the final arc people!


	54. War is Coming

**SC: **The following is a non-profit fanfiction. _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy _and _Disney _are all owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. Shade and the other OCs as well as the plot are owned by me.

Please support the official release.

* * *

The group left the castle after opening the final Keyhole of Requiem, with Cloud and Tifa returning to Radiant Garden. The seven Keyblade wielders returned to the Gummi Ship and headed for Yen Sid's Tower.

"Well, looks like we're on the final run," Lea chuckled weakly.

Everyone remained silent, the sudden realisation of the battle that was looming falling upon them.

"We should thank our families," Kairi said. "If we do that we can go to Requiem with an easier feeling."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Sora set the course for Destiny Islands.

(**Destiny's Union- Kingdom Hearts BBS OST**)

XXX

_Destiny Islands_

"Mum! Dad! I'm home!" Sora shouted, walking his home.

"Soraaaa!" his mother, Selena shouted with glee, give him a death hug. "How has my little soldier been?"

"I've been fine," Sora laughed, looking at his mum.

Selena had long wavy brown hair and blue eyes. Coupled with her soft feminine features, it made her incredibly beautiful for a woman in her late thirties. She was wearing an old T-shirt and jogging pants that were covered in paint.

"Have you been painting?" Sora asked, before noticing a slight bump at her belly. His eyes widened. "You're...!"

"Yup," Selena grinned. "It's going to be a girl."

"I...I'm going to have a sister..." Sora said a little shellshocked.

"Yup, little Hikari," she smiled back.

Sora gave a huge smile, partly out of happiness, but also to mask the feeling have guilt he had deep inside him.

"Selena, where have..." Sora's dad asked strolling into the room, also in old clothes.

His dad, Archer, was broad shouldered and had blonde spiky hair, similar to his son and green eyes.

His eyes fell on Sora. "Son! It's been so long!"

"Haha hiya, Dad," Sora grinned.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming, we'd have thrown a welcome home party?"

Sora faltered a little. "I just came to say I'll be away for a while long and...thanks for everything."

Sora smiled and quickly left the house, leaving his parents a little bewildered.

XXX

_Destiny Islands_

Riku was at the hospital. His mother, Luna, was diabetic and was in the process of having her blood cleaned. Riku sat next to her bed in a chair, watching her as she slept. She looked peaceful as she slept, her silvery purple hair, tied in ponytail that fell over her right shoulder, glistened in the sunlight. Riku sighed.

"Mom...I know I've been a handful at times...cocky, obnoxious, selfish...and I know that you've been disappointed in me at times too..."

He sighed again.

"There's a battle coming. A big battle. And I don't know if I'll survive. I'm so scared Mom...but if we don't do something then...the whole Universe is danger so...thanks and...I hope I can make you proud."

He gentle kissed her forehead. She made a cute noise and rolled over. Riku smiled and walked out, fighting back tears.

XXX

_Destiny Islands_

Kairi watched her father in his office. He was a short fat man in glasses that made his eyes look comically huge. He looked up from the papers he was writing.

"Something wrong sweetie?" he asked, snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.

"Oh no, nothing, hahaha," she laughed nervously.

"Don't lie, Kairi, I'm your dad, I want to help you," he smiled.

"It's just...I never thanked you for taking me in. You didn't have to but you did."

The Mayor laughed a jolly laugh.

"How could we not? You were adorable." He looked up at the ceiling. "I remember when you had just moved into our house. You were so excited that you ran all over looking at everything. You were so excited that you ran into our butler, causing him to spill the plates he was carrying. Hahahaha the look on his face!"

Kairi chuckled. "I know, but Daddy...thank you for everything."

The Mayor looked at her uneasy. Kairi smiled warmly and he smiled back before returning to his work.

XXX

_Coraltown Lake_

It took a while but she made it to the plaza. Aqua remembered that it was her mother's favourite relaxation spot. Not long after, she spotted her.

Aqua stood at the end of the plaza, trying to hide herself. She had returned to her home town. It'd had changed a lot, the most notable one was there was a large shopping plaza where the local cinema had been. She watched the woman, in her mid to late sixties, sat at a cafe table with a cup of coffee. Her name was Hamako. Her grey hair had the remnants of the bright blue that Aqua remembered.

But her eyes...

They looked so sad...

"Mom..." Aqua said quietly, a few tears falling down her cheeks.

She wanted to hug her so badly, cry into her arms, but she was terrified of her reaction. Shaking, she turned and walked away.

Hamako felt a sting in her heart. She looked to the other end of the plaza. She could have sworn she saw her daughter...

XXX

_Radiant Garden_

Ven was watching a group of men that were his old friends. They were in their early thirties. He wondered if they would recognise him, if they would run away in fright if he went up to. They were stood around a gravestone, talking quietly.

The gravestone read Ventus Masamune.

XXX

_Radiant Garden_

Lea was sat with an old woman sat in a chair. The woman had Alzheimer's. The woman was called Jade. The woman was his mother.

"Mum," he said softly, holding her frail, wrinkled hand. "I'm so glad I got to see you again."

"You look just like my son," she said weakly. "What was his name...? I can't remember..." she chuckled weakly. "I can't remember a lot of things these days."

"It's ok, Mu...Jade," Lea smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he doesn't care if you do 'cause he knows that you still love him."

Jade smiled and began telling him about her life after Lea's supposed death.

Lea sat there, listening eagerly to the ten years of her life he had missed, smiling.

He was tearing himself apart inside.

XXX

_Twilight Town_

Shade walked into the Usual Spot as Riku stood by the doorway. Hayner, Pence and Olette all smiled when they saw her.

"Yo, long time no see," Hayner grinned.

"I can't wait to tell you about what we've been doing," Pence said, looking like a really happy puppy.

"You'll be jealous," Olette teased.

Shade smiled a little. The smile quickly faded.

"I'm not staying," she said quietly.

"What? Why?" Hayner questioned.

"There is a big battle coming against a man who has done terrible things to so, so many people. Me included..." Shade began crying a little. "You have no idea how happy I was with you...being with you guys are the happiest memories of my life! I cherish them! And...and I just want you to know...that...that you have my eternal thanks for it."

Riku came and held her close to him, stroking her hair as she cried quietly.

Hayner growled at Riku, but Pence nudged him sharply before talking to Riku.

"Take care of her," Pence said softly.

Riku nodded and escorted Shade out of the hangout and back to the Ship.

(**End Destiny's Union**)

XXX

_Mysterious Tower_

"So Warriors of Light," Yen Sid said in his deep wise voice. "The time has come. Luckily I have brought you other warriors to help you. Please come in."

(**Strategy- Sonic Adventure 2 OST**)

The doors opened. Sora smiled at the people who walked in.

"So it's finally come to this," Leon said coolly.

"Bring it on!" Yuffie cheered.

"Hmph," Cloud huffed.

"Happy to help," Tife smiled.

"We'll get tha' old coot for ya," Cid said, brandishing a spear.

"I'm with you," Aerith said softly.

"Haha, never been in a battle as big as this before," Kara chuckled.

"Finally I can put these to good use," Kaede grinned, spinning her chakrams.

"Don't get cocky," Amaya said to her sternly.

"This'll be a cinch," Yuki said with folded arms.

"Always ready to help," the King smiled.

"Let's get Xehanort right where it hurts!" Donald quacked.

"Gawrsh, I hope we'll be alright," Goofy said cautiously.

Not before long the sound of metal footsteps trudged up the stairs, getting closer and louder. A figure in golden-brown armour walked in. Sora recognised it as the Lingering Will.

"Now Xehanort, you will pay," he said.

"TERRA!" Aqua and Ven cried happily, hugging Terra tightly.

"Hey, guys," Terra laughed.

Shade stepped forward a little, calling Midori. "Umm...Master Yen Sid? I was wondering if you could, after we've done...give Midori a human shape?"

Yen Sid looked at Midori, raising an eyebrow. Midori seemed to glare back at him and rasped.

"Midori!" Shade said sternly, causing Midori to back down.

"I take it this Heartless is one of yours?" the elderly sorcerer asked calmly. Shade nodded. "Very well I shall see what I can do, but you must keep him in line."

Shade grinned and hugged the Neoshadow, who seemed to groan loudly.

Yen Sid coughed, gaining everyone's attention.

"Warriors of Light," he said. "Before you is a dangerous task. If we don't take this up then the Universe as we know it will be destroyed. But know this; I have every faith in you. All of you. So..." he motioned to the window. Outside was large, long Gummi Ship with large engines and propellers. "I have had this made for you. It is equipped with the best weaponry and shields to get you to your destination. Are you all ready?"

Every nodded.

"Then go forth! Stop Xehanort before this Universe is destroyed!"

* * *

**A/N: **OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!

It's almost time!

*Girly squeal* Uh...I mean... *Girly squeal*

Leave a message in the review box below, it pumps me up, meaning better chapters to for you guys! :D

P.S If you haven't already, check out the one shot tie in series 'Memories of Days Gone By'.

P.P.S I'm starting a poll, so if can, drop by and vote :)


	55. Requiem

**Sora: **_Shadows of the Heart _is owned by Shadowclaw98._ Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy_ and _Disney_ are owned Hironobu Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company.

Please support the official release.

* * *

The group stepped out of the gummi ship. The first thing the group noticed was the damp, muddy ground which squelched beneath their feet. Sora walked to the edge of the land, quickly realising that the ship had landed on sheer cliff. He looked down the several hundred feet drop. There was a mass of violent rivers and torrents roaring below. Sora observed the mass of dull grey cliffs and waterfalls that made up the surroundings. The sky was a dreary grey, covered with rain clouds.

Riku, Shade and Kairi walked up next to him.

"So we're finally here," Riku said, taking a deep breath.

"Yup," Sora said confidently.

"It so...ancient," Kairi gasped.

"Time to pay you back, Old Man," Shade growled, clenching her first.

**Requiem**

**The Stronghold of the Keyblade War**

**(Kingdom Valley ~Lakeside~- Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 OST)**

Leon started walking along the cliff path.

"Let's get moving, this path seems to be the only one we have for now," he said, beckoning the group to follow.

Together the group trudged along the cliff path. Every so often they came across ancient ruins sticking out of the ground, beaten by the weather. Pillars and murals scattered the cliffs and caves as waters cascaded over the ledges.

"Why would Xehanort want to a base in this place?" Terra wondered.

"It's probably because of the scenery," Kara replied, filling his combat rifle with ammo and checking his reserves. "I don't know all the ins and outs, but this...Xehanort would want a place that's so out of the way and difficult to get to that only we will be able to find it."

"And with worlds only just realising there are others out there, there will be very few who can rescue us," Amaya finished.

"We won't die will we?" Kaede asked nervously.

"Relax, Sis," Yuki replied cockily. "I'll cut them up before they try anything."

"Try to stay calm," Aqua reassured, eating one of the leaves. "Stress will make you lose focus."

Sora and the others nodded and continued onwards.

XXX

It wasn't long before they arrived at a large castle, surrounded by several weathered towers and walls. Preventing them from entering was a large metal door with a huge green gem in the centre. Sora pointed his Keyblade at it and unlocked it. It rumbled open with a groaning metallic clunking sound.

"How old do you reckon this place is?" Lea asked as they entered.

"Don't know..." Cloud replied. "Although this castle looks like it would have been built around a hundred years ago, the weathering on the buildings says differently. I'd say around three thousand at a minimum."

The group stepped out on to a raised platform. In front of them was tall grey and blue castle, severely weathered by rain. Surrounding the castle and what little footholds there were was a huge lake. Collapsed arches and towers stuck out like overgrown reeds. Shade stepped forward.

"Xehanort isn't here," she said before pointing to the other side of the lake to a large door surrounded by high brown walls. "He's through that door."

"Then let's get going!" Sora said running down the nearby stairs.

He was stopped quickly be several Defenders, Armoured Knights and Soldiers.

"Out of the way!" Sora growled, hacking the Heartless apart, only for more to take their place.

"I don't think they'll let us through that easily," Leon sighed, looking out to the ruins.

Hordes of Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed started appearing on the towers and walls.

"Looks like they're asking to be beaten," Yuki giggled sadistically.

"Nothing the Great Ninja Yuffie can't handle," Yuffie grinned.

"Alright then," Riku said with determination, summoning Way to the Dawn. "Let's go!"

**(Kingdom Valley ~The Castle~- Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 OST)**

The group split up; Sora, Riku, Kairi, Lea and Shade taking the ruins, Terra, Aqua and Ven taking the pathways on the edge and the Restoration Committee going through the castle.

Sora's group began leaping across the platforms left by the sunken towers. Landing on one of them they set about hacking and slashing the Nobodies that blocked them. Sora swung his Keyblade through some Dusks and jumped just as Riku slipped underneath and slashed a couple of Dragoons as Lea took out a few Creepers. Kairi shot a Blizzaga at couple of Gamblers, while Shade entered duel with a few Samurais, slicing them up and laughing as she did so.

When the enemies were gone they leaped on to the outside of a hollow tower in front of its stained glass window, killing the Nobodies that appeared on the ledge.

"How do we get in?" Kairi asked.

"Heh, no problem," Shade replied, firing a Dark Blizzaga at the window, shattering it with a loud, tumbling crash.

The group jumped down into a circular stone room with yet another steel closed door, several Assassins appearing in front of them.

"Leave this to me," Lea grinned, encasing his hand and Keyblade in fire. "Burn, baby!"

He slammed the Keyblade's teeth into the ground. A large group of lava balls erupted from the ground, disposing of the Nobodies. The door rumbled open.

"Seems like they were guarding that door," Riku noted. "Come on, let's get moving."

The group exited the tower, and ran down the spiral stone stairs to the towers base, before jumping on several more of the remains of other towers remains and headed for the door on the other side, taking out Nobodies as they went.

XXX

The restoration committee ran through the interior of the castle, taking out several groups of Heartless on the way. Cloud and Leon danced around the bigger ones, taking them out with their blades as Kaede and Amaya slashed through them with their chakrams and naginata respectively. Yuffie and Yuki were having a competition to see who could kill the most Heartless. Tifa was busy beating up which over unfortunate thing happened to be in her way, while Cid speared through them all. Kara on the other hand was tearing the Heartless apart with his combat rifle and laughing like a maniac.

"Hey!" Cid shouted at Amaya. "Is he gonna ok? He looks like 'e 'as a screw lose." He motioned to his head.

"Oh don't mind him," Amaya smiled. "He just gets into it."

Pretty soon the castle halls were a mess of dying Heartless. The group made it to a doorway which lead to a tower with a downwards spiral staircase, although the stairs were missing in places and there was shallow water at the bottom.

"Well you know what they say right?" Kara smiled.

"What?" Leon asked.

"Geronimo!" Kara shouted and leaping to the bottom, landing gracefully.

The others followed suit before the large group found themselves on a long walkway that was broken in places. It went straight to the where they needed to go. However it was crawling with Heartless.

"Hmph, looks difficult," Cloud said. "Want to have a breather, Leon?"

Leon chuckled. "Why? You getting tired?"

Cloud smiled slightly before charging down the path, his group following.

XXX

Aqua, Terra and Ven were using all their skills to survive the onslaught of Unversed as they made their way around the edges of the lake. Aqua fired on them with a powerful Fire spell, burning them until they were nothing but the darkness they were. Terra took them out with powerful, sweeping strikes, while Ven darted around, hitting their weak spots.

"How are the Unversed still here?" Ven asked.

"Vanitas must be part of Xehanort's Organization," Terra replied, taking out a group of Buckle Bruisers with Brutal Blast.

"Wow...ok," Ven said, a tad worried about what he had missed.

Aqua and Terra, or rather, the Lingering Will had already explained what had happened during and after the fight at the Keyblade Graveyard while Sora and Riku explained the situation to him. In all honesty it scared him.

The two made their way to the door but were forced to stop when they ran out of platforms.

"Damn..." Aqua muttered. "What now?"

"Hey!" the heard a shout from one of the broken pillars.

The group looked at it and found Sora, Riku, Kairi, Shade and Lea stood on it. Shade was waving.

"Wait a sec!" she shouted before a Dark Corridor opened in front of them. "Come on!"

Uneasy, the trio walked through and joined the others.

"Yo," Terra said gruffly, looking around. The doorway was just in front of them, one pillar over. Leon's group were already there. "Shall we?"

The gang nodded and leaped on to the pillar, then the platform.

"So you made it," Leon noted just as the metal door clunked open. "Looks like someone's expecting us. Let's give them what they want."

With their hearts pounding the group went inside.

(**End Kingdom Valley ~The Castle~**)

XXX

as they made their way further in before arriving at the exit, ending up at outside, in a circular rocky crevice with a small stream running through it. At one end was a large door. Xehanort and the remaining members were all stood in front of it.

"Welcome Keyblade Wielders of the Light. We are gathered here today to witness the birth of an new Universe. The union of the thirteen darkness, and the seven light shall be here and now!"

"Hate to break it to you Xehanort but you're missing a few on your end," Riku growled.

"Oh? You didn't think I wouldn't have learned how to revive the deceased did you?" Xehanort chuckled, raising his hands in the air.

They glowed a sickly purple colour and either side of the Organization appeared Cyrus, Tesla and Laylah.

"Damn it!" Kara shouted angrily. "Do have any idea how low that is?! You can't just go about reviving dead people!"

"Calm down Kara," Amaya said. "Don't let him get to you."

(**Showdown at Hollow Bastion- KHII OST**)

Xehanort chuckled again.

"As you can see I have now gained power over life and death. Now all I need is the power of Kingdom Hearts and my plans shall be complete. All those years of waiting and planning shall be worth it. So now, call forth for me...the blade!"

"Not if we can stop you!" Sora yelled.

All of them summoned their weapons, the Organization each wielding a Keyblade variant of their originals. Xehanort smiled cruelly. Sora gave a determined look while Shade glared him down. Xehanort held up his hand.

"Charge!" he yelled.

With the sound of footsteps, water and metal clanging in the air, the Second Keyblade War began.

* * *

**A/N:** Badaboomba!

Don't forget to vote on the poll it closes on Wednesday!

Stay tuned for the final battle.

And please leave your comments below :3


	56. Darkness of the Unknown

**Xemnas: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. **_**Kingdom Hearts**_**, **_**Final Fantasy **_**and all**_** Disney **_**characters are owned by Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, Hironobu Sakaguchi and The Walt Disney Company. Shadowclaw only owns the OCs and the plot.**

**Please support the official release.**

**A/N 1: **For this chapter play L'Oscurita Del'Ignot...o...whatever you know what I mean.

**A/N 2: **Also updates may be slow this next month and a bit. For those of you who haven't recently checked my profile, what the hell have you been doing?!

I kid.

Long story short it's nearing the end of college and I need to finish all my work. Writer's block and an plot bunnies don't help much either SO updates will be slow...ish this month and possibly a bit of next month too, so my apologies.

**A/N 3: **Ok, LAST one, I promise.

Happy birthday to Kh530, one of my constant minions...I mean reviewers, sorry I couldn't release it on the day haha. So yeah, happy birthday :) Hope it went well.

Now ON TO THE WAR!

* * *

_Requiem_

Sora charged for the elderly Keyblade master, but was subsequently knocked back by a powerful force. I large impenetrable barrier formed around him and, as he looked around, the same thing had happened to every person, bar the King.

"So, the Keyblade's chosen one has finally arrived," a voice from above spoke.

Sora looked up and watched Xemnas descend, hovering in front of him, Intridiction bared.

"Well then, let's see how powerful you are...Sora!"

"Bring it on!" Sora yelled, jumping up and swiping at the Nobody.

Xemnas teleported behind him and unleashed a combo on him, launching him into the air. But Sora managed to kick back at the uppercut, knocking Xemnas back and allowing him to manoeuvre, slashing Xemnas in the stomach and getting several hits on him.

"Guard!" Xemnas roared, sending up a Shield of Nothingness, catching the boy off guard.

Sora stumbled, but managed to block the flurry of attacks.

The two locked blades. Nothingness sizzled against metal.

"You have to do better than that, Xemnas!" Sora grinned.

"You know nothing of my power!" Xemnas snarled.

Sora grinned. "Fire!"

Without warning a Firaga shot out of Sora's hand and straight into Xemnas' chest, sending the Nobody careening into the barrier. Sora laughed.

"You kinda suck when there's no skyscrapers around don't you?" he mocked.

"Do not think you have one just yet," Xemnas warned before disappearing.

Sora instinctively whirled behind and swung, but hit nothing. He swung behind himself again, but hit nothing.

"If he's nothing in front or behind then...oh shi-"

Xemnas burst out of the ground and grabbed the boy by the throat, impaling him with an ethereal blade.

"So you see Sora, your purpose has been served," Xemnas berated before pointing at Master Xehanort, specifically above his head.

Above the old man a golden orb was forming.

"Behold the majesty of the -blade! No more shall this universe be one of Light only. We shall return it to the balance of Light and Dark!"

"Well..." Sora coughed out, along with blood. "Didn't I say it...before? My friends...are my power!"

With that a two golden orbs shot out of Sora's heart, forcing Xemnas to back off. Sora got back to his feet as a Curaga was cast on him. Xemnas looked on in disbelief as a Necho Cat and Tyranto Rex appeared beside the Keyblade wielder.

"But...how?" Xemnas questioned.

"As long as my heart is connected to them they will come when I call them," Sora grinned.

Xemnas growled and immediately began firing laser at them. The Dream Eaters split up, with the Tyranto Rex spitting fire at Xemnas alongside Sora's Blizzard spells, whilst the Necho Cat focused on support.

"Begone!" Xemnas shouted, unleashing a duo of powerful Orbs of the Void.

Sora jumped up and slashed at Xemnas with a fire encased Keyblade, just as the Tyranto Rex swiped at him with its tail.

Xemnas teleported away before cloning himself. Together the two Xemnas' opened fire on Sora. Sora ran up to them, blocking every laser, whilst the Dream Eaters supported him from afar. Sora jumped up in the air and performed the Zantetsuken on both, causing one to shatter and the other to fall to the ground in pain.

Sora walked up to the fallen Nobody, causing him to chuckle.

"Well done Sora..." Xemnas complimented as he began to fade. "You and I have completed two twentieths of the blade. No go join the others, Sora..."

As Xemnas died and disappeared back into darkness the barrier around Sora fell. He turned to the other battles. The nearest were Kairi and Xigbar.

"Well, looks like we have a job to do," he said has a ran towards the barrier.

* * *

**A/N 4: **Guess what? I lied. Anyhow sorry about the length, I was fighting through the block and a lack of caffeine. Also sorry Fyrwinde, but I wanted this up as soon as.

Anyhow, you know what to do, write something in the box below.

Unless they're flames.

Also I shall be closing the poll too so nyeh.

See you soon minions :3


End file.
